The first word in SSI is "Supplemental". SSI ALWAYS considers other income sources when determining the amount of SSI checks. You cannot get your SSI to increase unless your SSDI stops. Then it still goes up to the maximum, $710. Read the titles on the letters you get. The checks that come on the first are Supplemental Security Income (SSI) which pays benefits to the disabled, the blind and the elderly poor.
You could move to another state that may pay a state supplement to its SSI recipients. Or you could give up SSI totally by making money from working, lottery winnings, inheritances, trust funds. You can't go back in time and work more years, save more money, or qualify for a pension. The point of SSI is to provide a minimum income level and all SSI recipients live on the same amount of money. It is pretty much impossible to get ahead as an SSI recipient, but you should be able to maintain the lifestyle you now have. That is the point of SSI, to keep you from being homeless and hungry.
You are getting as much as you can from the government. It is up to you to find other sources although any other income you might get would reduce the SSI. SSI actually has a rule that requires you to file for other benefits (pensions, VA etc.) in order to get SSI. That is because the other income would reduce the SSI.
Now, there is the Plan for Achieving Self-Support (PASS). If you were to develop a plan that involves a work goal that would lead toward getting off of SSI and SSDI as well as the steps to achieve that goal (education), you could use your SSDI benefits to pay for the items in that plan and then the SSI would go up. You would not improve your current standard of living, but maybe with the right education, you might not need to be on disability again. Don't know if that is feasible for you or not.
You could move to another state that may pay a state supplement to its SSI recipients. Or you could give up SSI totally by making money from working, lottery winnings, inheritances, trust funds. You can't go back in time and work more years, save more money, or qualify for a pension. The point of SSI is to provide a minimum income level and all SSI recipients live on the same amount of money. It is pretty much impossible to get ahead as an SSI recipient, but you should be able to maintain the lifestyle you now have. That is the point of SSI, to keep you from being homeless and hungry.
You are getting as much as you can from the government. It is up to you to find other sources although any other income you might get would reduce the SSI. SSI actually has a rule that requires you to file for other benefits (pensions, VA etc.) in order to get SSI. That is because the other income would reduce the SSI.
Now, there is the Plan for Achieving Self-Support (PASS). If you were to develop a plan that involves a work goal that would lead toward getting off of SSI and SSDI as well as the steps to achieve that goal (education), you could use your SSDI benefits to pay for the items in that plan and then the SSI would go up. You would not improve your current standard of living, but maybe with the right education, you might not need to be on disability again. Don't know if that is feasible for you or not.