How to Determine Your Eligibility for SSI Benefits

To sustain the basic needs of the United States population, the Social Security Administration (SSA) has been implementing various financial support programs as mandated to them by the law. One of which is the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program that aims to provide monthly assistance to those people with scarce resources or income of age 65 above, blind or disabled.

Unlike what most individuals perceive it, SSI funds do not come from Social Security taxes. Rather, it is sustained through the funding of the U.S. Treasury Department. This means that the federal government, through the general taxes of our people, is to be commended for this beneficial program.

Determining your eligibility
Not all workers or citizens may acquire SSI benefits. Your qualification greatly depends on your Income, Resources and other matters that you still need to address before thinking of filing a SSI claim.

Income
Income pertains to cash earnings that you gain, probably on a regular basis, such as your monthly salary, pensions and other types of Social Security benefits. The SSA rules regarding the required amount of monthly income depends on the state where you are living. However, the SSA will not consider your total income in determining your qualification. In doing so, they do not count the following:

-    The initial $20 of your received monthly income
-    The initial $65 of your monthly earnings from performing your work and 50% of the amount in excess of $65
-    Food stamps
-    Your housing provided for by private non-profit organizations
-    Various energy support

Resources
These pertain to your assets and other properties such as purchased lands, cash, business stocks, bonds and bank accounts. You may only qualify for SSI benefits if the assessed worth of your resources does not exceed $2,000 or $3,000 if you are married. Yet and still, the SSA does not count the following in deciding on your eligibility:

-    The house and lot where you are dwelling in
-    Your insurance plans amounting to not more than $1,500
-    Your vehicle
-    Burial plots intended for you or your immediate family’s use
-    Burial funds amounting to not more than $1,500 each for you and your spouse

Other requirements
Here are some of the other qualifications that you need to consider in verifying your eligibility for SSI benefits:

-    Being a U.S. citizen or a certified national who lives in this country
-    Living in various public institutions that houses not greater than sixteen individuals
-    Living in various public institutions primarily in order to attend certain educational trainings or employment skills enhancement seminars that will help you land a job
-    Living in emergency housing units

Seeking assistance
The proper assessment of your qualification for SSI benefits alone can be intricate. Thus, it is indeed recommendable to consult a credible and well-experienced SSI lawyer to assist you. This will certainly assure you of considering all your possible qualification and prevent you from filing a faulty claim case.