Supplemental Security Income (“SSI”) which was established by Title XVI of the Social Security Act is designed to provide benefits to low income persons who are disabled, blind, or age 65 years or older. SSI benefits, unlike Social Security Disability Income (“SSDI”) benefits, are not based upon your previous work history. Most people who receive SSI are also eligible for Medicaid benefits, which enables them to get medical care and prescription drugs.
Do You Qualify for SSI?
In many ways SSI is like SSDI in that the medical standards and administrative process used to evaluate Maryland SSI claims are handled the same way. In order to be considered “disabled” under SSI an individual must demonstrate that he or she has a physical or mental impairment that prevents them from engaging in any type of work, and that the impairment has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months. In order to be eligible for SSI, an individual must demonstrate that they have limited income and limited resources.
What Qualifies as Limited Income and Limited Resources?
Social Security defines limited income as follows:
- anything you earn from work,
- money you receive from other sources such as worker’s compensation or Department of Veteran Affairs
- money you receive from friends or relatives
- food received from others and shelter provided to you by others.
Social Security defines limited resources as follows:
- cash or bank accounts
- real property
- automobiles
- personal property
- life insurance
Finding Success in SSI Applications
Social Security does not count all resources you may have for purposes of SSI. An individual is limited to $2,000 in resources in order to be eligible for SSI. If your resources exceed $2,000, you will most likely be found ineligible for SSI. For more information, call our law office or contact the Social Security Administration
For more information regarding supplemental security income, please contact one of our experienced Baltimore social security disability lawyers at the Law Offices of Steven H. Heisler.
Attorney Steve Heisler
Steve Heisler decided in 1996 that he was going to focus his law practice exclusively on injury cases. Since then, he has been representing injured people against insurance companies, disreputable medical practitioners and Big Pharma, and doing it with compassion, honesty and level-headed rationality. [ Attorney Bio ]
