SSI Benefits

[gmassard]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Michigan

My autistic daughter is 34 years old, and she's living with my husband and me. She's been receiving monthly SSI benefits in the amount of $394. The maximum benefit in Michigan is $733.

She's not working right now, so she has no earned income. Even when she was working and paying rent and food she received the same low amount.

Several of her disabled friends have part time jobs, and they receive $733 a month. I don't understand why she isn't receiving the maximum payment? Thanks in advance.

 

[justalayman]

have you asked the SS people? They send out letters documenting the amount awarded and how it was calculated when you first get on it. Do you have those letters?

 

[single317dad]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Michigan

My autistic daughter is 34 years old, and she's living with my husband and me. She's been receiving monthly SSI benefits in the amount of $394. The maximum benefit in Michigan is $733.

She's not working right now, so she has no earned income. Even when she was working and paying rent and food she received the same low amount.

Several of her disabled friends have part time jobs, and they receive $733 a month. I don't understand why she isn't receiving the maximum payment? Thanks in advance.

After a $20 general income exclusion and a $65 earned income exclusion, any income (reduced by a factor of 1/2) is subtracted from the SSI benefit.

Example:

$733 benefit

$763 income
-$20 general exclusion
-$65 earned exclusion
$678 countable income

$678/2
$339 deduction

$733 - 339 = $394 benefit

 

[LdiJ]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Michigan

My autistic daughter is 34 years old, and she's living with my husband and me. She's been receiving monthly SSI benefits in the amount of $394. The maximum benefit in Michigan is $733.

She's not working right now, so she has no earned income. Even when she was working and paying rent and food she received the same low amount.

Several of her disabled friends have part time jobs, and they receive $733 a month. I don't understand why she isn't receiving the maximum payment? Thanks in advance.

Most likely they are counting the home you provide etc., towards her resources, and that is why she only receives 394.00.

You can certainly take her to your local SSA office and see if they will recalculate her benefits.

However, I can tell you that someone with a part time job often cannot receive SSI at all, so I do not know how her friends are doing it.

Read this:

http://www.socialsecurity.gov/ssi/text-income-ussi.htm

And this:

http://www.socialsecurity.gov/ssi/text-living-ussi.htm

 

[justalayman]

However, I can tell you that someone with a part time job often cannot receive SSI at all, so I do not know how her friends are doing it.

whether they qualify for SSI or not is dependent on the amount of income from that job. Having a job itself changes nothing.

from one of your own links:

For 2015, if an individual has only earnings income, then he or she could earn up to $1,551 per month and still be eligible for an SSI benefit. However, if an individual has monthly earnings of $1090 or more in 2015, then the person would be considered to be engaging in substantial gainful activity and would probably not meet initial eligibility requirements for SSI disability benefits (unless he or she is blind).

1551 per month. With minimum wage being in Michigan being $8.15/hour (per these guys: https://www.minimumwage.com/in-your-state/michigan/) that would mean a person could work 190 hours which is more than 40 hours per week.

 

[LdiJ]

whether they qualify for SSI or not is dependent on the amount of income from that job. Having a job itself changes nothing.

from one of your own links:



1551 per month. With minimum wage being in Michigan being $8.15/hour (per these guys: https://www.minimumwage.com/in-your-state/michigan/) that would mean a person could work 190 hours which is more than 40 hours per week.

Sorry, but something is off there. I just re-reviewed my links and that did not come from either of them.

What's more, that seems to be even higher than the earnings limits for someone on SSDI, which is NOT a needs based program. SSI is a needs based program and there is no way that someone could earn that amount of money and still qualify for SSI.

 

[justalayman]

Sorry, but something is off there. I just re-reviewed my links and that did not come from either of them.

What's more, that seems to be even higher than the earnings limits for someone on SSDI, which is NOT a needs based program. SSI is a needs based program and there is no way that someone could earn that amount of money and still qualify for SSI.

sorry about that. I ran off to another link and forgot I had. Try this one:

http://www.ssa.gov/oact/cola/SSI.html

then go to countable income link near the bottom

http://www.ssa.gov/oact/cola/countableincome.html

then find the link for appropriate exclusions and you will find what I posted.

http://www.ssa.gov/oact/cola/incomexcluded.html

 

[LdiJ]

sorry about that. I ran off to another link and forgot I had. Try this one:

http://www.ssa.gov/oact/cola/SSI.html

then go to countable income link near the bottom

http://www.ssa.gov/oact/cola/countableincome.html

then find the link for appropriate exclusions and you will find what I posted.

http://www.ssa.gov/oact/cola/incomexcluded.html

I am not going to bother because my links clearly spelled it out, and even you, after all of these years should realize that.

 

[justalayman]

I am not going to bother because my links clearly spelled it out, and even you, after all of these years should realize that.

so you call me out on what I quoted and when I provide proof I get:

I don't care. I'm going to ignore your proof and claim I'm right. Be my guest. That's on you.

 

[LdiJ]

so you call me out on what I quoted and when I provide proof I get:

I don't care. I'm going to ignore your proof and claim I'm right. Be my guest. That's on you.

SSI is needs based program.

SSDI is not a needs based program. Its an entitlement program based on earnings history and proof of disability.

How could you possibly believe that someone could earn 1500+ a month and still qualify for a needs based program?...particularly when 1500+ a month is higher than what someone is permitted to earn while on the non-needs based program?

I posted a link to the calculations, singledad posted an example of the actual calculations. Leading people who read this thread to believe that they can earn 1500+ a month while on SSI is doing people a GRAVE disservice.

 

[Onderzoek]

Countable income computation:

$1500 Gross wages
$ 65 Minus earned income exclusion
$ 20 Minus other income exclusion not used against unearned income

$1415 Divide by 2
$ 707.50 Countable earned income


$733 Federal Benefit Rate 2015
$707.50 Minus countable income

$25.50 SSI benefit payable.

Yes it is possible to get an SSI check making $1500 gross per month. It is also possible to continue on Medicaid as an SSI recipient making more than that as long as the SSI recipient is still disabled and cannot afford to pay for medical treatment and other attendant care paid for by the government. Think of a quadriplegic mid level manager. Holds a job making $50K a year, but nowhere near enough to pay for attendant care. Called 1619b SSI recipient. No cash.

SSI does not have a trial work period.

 

[justalayman]

SSI is needs based program.

SSDI is not a needs based program. Its an entitlement program based on earnings history and proof of disability.

How could you possibly believe that someone could earn 1500+ a month and still qualify for a needs based program?...particularly when 1500+ a month is higher than what someone is permitted to earn while on the non-needs based program?

I posted a link to the calculations, singledad posted an example of the actual calculations. Leading people who read this thread to believe that they can earn 1500+ a month while on SSI is doing people a GRAVE disservice.

Thank you onderoek. I am not overly familiar with the calculations so I wasn't going to try but the fact I got my numbers from an actual .gov site I figured there was something behind the numbers they were posting.

I believe the grave disservice is in you, ldij, dissuading people that would possibly qualify for SSI from applying. While I agree it would seem to be an income that may disqualify one on the face of things, since the numbers came from a .gov site the least you could have done was review the link rather than taking a "I know" attitude. In this case apparently you didn't know.