(TheDailyCurrents.com) – Supplemental Social Security Income (SSI) is part of the federal government’s social safety net for American citizens. It’s not the same benefit as Social Security, although the Social Security Administration (SSA) manages the SSI program.

One big difference between SSI and SSA is where the money comes from. The social security payments you get when you retire are paid from money you and your employers paid into the fund when you were working; SSI benefits are completely separate from that money and are paid out of the US Treasury’s general revenue fund.

SSI is financial help for people who are disabled or blind. Most SSI beneficiaries—about 85%—are elderly, but there are close to one million recipients who are children.

Who Qualifies for SSI?

You must meet several strict standards to qualify for SSI assistance. Most applicants—about 60%—are actually turned down, primarily because they have income or assets above the eligibility limits.

The rules for eligibility are also different for residents of US territories. If you live in Guam, Puerto Rico, or the US Virgin Islands, you’re eligible for assistance under the Aged, Blind, and Disabled (AABD) federal block grant, but if you’re in American Samoa, you don’t qualify for any aid. Only citizens who live in the Northern Mariana Islands are eligible for SSI.

Some Non-citizens May Qualify for SSI

There are some exceptions for non-citizens to get SSI help. They must be in the qualified alien category, and meet additional SSI conditions, such as being a lawfully admitted permanent alien, a designated refugee or asylum seeker, or a Cuban or Haitian entrant.

SSI Eligibility Requirements

When you apply for benefits under SSI, you must meet all of these criteria.

• Be disabled or over 65. Blindness counts as a disability
• Be a legal US citizen or national, or a legal alien who meets certain other requirements
• Have assets below $2000 for an individual, or $3000 for couples
• Live in a US state, Washington, DC, or the Northern Mariana Islands, be a child of military parents on permanent assignment outside the US, or a student temporarily living abroad

Since SSI eligibility is strictly income and asset based, your marital status and household income may have an impact on your eligibility. For example, if you are disabled and have no assets in your name, but your spouse does have assets, you don’t qualify.

Any income sources for your household count against you when SSA is determining your benefits. This is also the case if you live in a Medicaid facility.

The maximum amount of SSI an individual can receive in 2022 is $10,092, or $841 per month. Couples tap out at $15,136, or $1261 monthly.

If there are other income sources, the SSA has a formula for benefit deductions. The average individual monthly assistance works out to about $625 as of April 2022.

What about Other Forms of Assistance?

Thirty-five states and Washington, DC all automatically consider SSI beneficiaries eligible for Medicaid benefits. Medicaid provides health insurance for qualified families and individuals, as well as long-term support services, wheelchairs, lifts, and supportive housing services.

The majority of SSI recipients also are eligible for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP), and about 25% get housing assistance through the Section 8 voucher program.

Are Children Eligible for SSI?

Children who have a physical or mental disability, including blindness, may qualify for SS if the child’s parents meet the income and asset thresholds. Eligibility is determined by the length of the disability—it must be diagnosed as lasting at least one year, or result in death.

A child’s eligibility is dated from the onset of the disability.  If the disability was present at birth, that is considered the date that benefits are paid. When the child reaches age 18, they are re-assessed for SSI and fall in the adult beneficiary category.

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