Frequently Asked Questions

SSI is the Social Security Administration’s Supplemental Security Income program. SSI provides monthly income for people who meet Social Security’s rules for disability, and have limited income and resources.

No. The amount of SSI varies from state to state. Each state determines if it will supplement the Federal Benefit Rate (FBR) provided by Social Security. The state of California provides a State Supplemental Payment (SSP). These amounts may be adjusted annually to account for cost of living changes.

This is the amount that a state may add to the national Federal Benefit Rate (FBR). California's State Supplemental Payment is $239.94. Combined with the Federal Benefit Rate of $943, this allows an individual a total benefit of $1,182.94. The FBR for a couple is $1,415, while the SSP for a couple is $607.83. The maximum benefit for a couple is $2,022.83.

Some states that provide a State Supplement Payment, including California, have arranged with Social Security to combine their supplemental payments with the federal payment. There are other states that provide State Supplemental Payments and manage their own programs. These states may require an additional application.

Yes. In California, people who qualify for SSI also get Medi-Cal health coverage. They may also qualify for CalFresh (formerly Food Stamps).

Yes. If you’re eligible for SSI, you’ll automatically get Medi-Cal— the federal Medicaid health coverage program in California.

SSI is for people who:

• Are disabled, blind, or over age 65
• Have resources below $2,000 ($3,000 for an eligible couple)
• Are unable to work very much because of disability
• Have limited income
• Are US citizens (or meet certain requirements for noncitizens).

To be eligible for SSI you must be medically disabled according to Social Security’s rules.

Yes. You can be eligible for SSI if you have never worked.

To be eligible for SSI, you must show that you have a disability that prevents you from working. Social Security requires that:

• You must be able to show medical reports that confirm that you have a severe physical or mental disability.
• The disability must be life-threatening or have lasted or be expected to last at least a year.
• The disability must prevent you from doing Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) for at least a year.

Yes. The SSI program has very strict limits on how much money you can have and on what you own. You are allowed to have resources of up to $2,000 ($3,000 for a couple) under the program.

The home you live in and one vehicle are not included in those limits. Certain other resources are also not included.

If your disability began before you turned 26, you can open an ABLE account where over time you can save up to $100,000 in resources and not have them counted by SSI. Learn more about ABLE accounts.

Not necessarily. To qualify for SSI, you must be a US citizen or a qualified alien. Some important categories of qualified aliens include people who are:

• Lawfully Admitted for Permanent Residence (LAPR) in the U.S.
• Refugees admitted to the US under Section 207 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA)
• Granted asylum under section 208 of the INA

Qualified aliens must also meet certain other conditions to be eligible for SSI.

Some groups of immigrants and refugees will only be able to get SSI for seven years after their date of entry into the US. If they think they will continue to need SSI, they need to become US citizens before that time is up. If you are unsure of your immigration status or how it affects SSI, you should talk to Social Security or the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. See the Social Security Administration's website for more information.

You can apply for SSI:

• Online (which starts the application process immediately)
• By calling Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 or 1-800-325-0778 (TTY) to make an appointment to apply either:
  • Over the phone, or
  • In person at your local Social Security office.

Note: If you are approved, you get SSI benefits for the entire time since the date you applied. That’s why you should apply as soon as possible. If you don’t have everything ready for your application, that’s OK — you can still apply and send any missing information as quickly as you can.

The SSI application process can take from 3 to 6 months to complete, starting from when Social Security has everything they need to make a decision. If you’re approved, Social Security will send you a check for back benefits going back to the date you applied. That’s why it is important to apply as soon as you can.

While waiting to hear from Social Security, you can also apply for, CalFresh (formerly Food Stamps), CalWORKs, and Medi-Cal. Depending on your need and circumstances, you may also be able to get emergency cash assistance and/or housing. You can apply online at BenefitsCal or at your county social services agency.

Yes. You don’t have to accept Social Security’s decision. If you feel that the decision is unfair or incorrect, you have the right to file an appeal.

You have 60 days from when you get the denial letter to file an appeal. Do it quickly; the faster you file, the faster your case will be resolved. If you miss the 60-day window, you may lose the right to appeal at all. Note: Social Security figures that you get a letter within five days after they sent it.

To file an appeal, call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 or 1-800-325-0778 (TTY) and ask them to send you an SSI appeal form. You can also request your appeal using this online form.

When you file an appeal, you can send more information that will help explain your case.

You have the right to have a lawyer or other qualified person represent you during the appeal process. Or you may choose to deal with it yourself.

You’ll keep getting SSI benefits as long as you are still disabled and meet the income, resource, and other eligibility requirements.

From time to time, Social Security will check to make sure that you still qualify. A medical Continuing Disability Review (CDR) looks at whether you are still medically disabled. A redetermination looks at your income, resources, and living arrangements.

If you have income from other sources, your SSI benefit will get smaller. Social Security treats income from some sources differently than income from other sources. Your SSI benefit is reduced by the amount of your countable income, which depends on your earned and unearned income.

• Earned income is money you get from work you do. It includes salaries, wages, tips, bonuses, professional fees or other amounts you get in exchange for physical or mental work you actually do.
  
  If you’re self-employed, you subtract your work expenses before reporting your earned income, the way you do when you file your taxes.

• Unearned income is anything else: It's money you get for which you do no work. Examples include disability benefits such as SSDI; short or long-term disability insurance; VA benefits; Workers’ Compensation; income from a trust or investment; dividends, profits; or any other money gotten from a source other than work.

Social Security’s countable income calculation is described in detail here.

People who live in medical facilities like hospitals and nursing homes generally can’t collect full SSI benefits.

• If you are living in a medical facility where Medi-Cal pays for more than half the cost of your care, your SSI benefits amount is at most $62 a month for an individual or $124 for a couple.
• If you live in a public facility and Medi-Cal is NOT paying for more than half of your care, you cannot get any SSI benefits.
• If your doctor says you will be in the facility for less than 90 days, and you can show that you need your SSI benefits to keep your home or living arrangement, you may continue to get your SSI benefits.

If you’re expecting to stay for less than 90 days, you need to get the doctor’s note and documentation about your need to Social Security right away. The facility’s admissions office can help you. SSI also needs a statement from you or someone who knows your cicrumstances saying that you need to keep your SSI benefits to avoid losing your home or living arrangements.

You need to report any changes. Your monthly SSI benefits amount depends on your:

• Earned income
• Unearned income
• Living arrangement

If any of these things change, even slightly, you must report the change twice:

• To your local county social services agency within 10 days of when the change happens.
• To Social Security at the start of the month after the change. You can report:
  • In person, by phone, or by fax during the first 10 days of the next month.
  • Using the SSI Telephone Reporting System, the SSI reporting app, or My Social Security during the first 6 days of the next month.

If you were overpaid but feel that it wasn’t your fault, and you can’t pay back the overpayment because you need the money to pay living expenses, you can ask for a waiver of the overpayment. You can get the waiver form by calling Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 and asking for form SSA-632. If the waiver is granted, you don’t have to repay the overpayment.

Social Security may make a mistake or make a decision without knowing all the facts. If you think the amount of your overpayment is incorrect or that you do not have any overpayment, you have the right to appeal. If you decide to appeal, you should do so right away. If you appeal within 10 days of the date the notice was sent, your checks will keep coming until Social Security decides on the appeal.

Income from work raises your countable income, which lowers your SSI benefits. Roughly speaking, for every $2 you earn at work, your SSI to go down by $1. That’s why most people on SSI who go back to work end up better off. Read DB101’s page on SSI and Work for more information.

If you’re on SSI and go back to work, your Medi-Cal coverage can continue even after your earnings have reduced your SSI benefits amount to zero. Depending on your income and resource levels, Medi-Cal coverage can continue either through SSI’s 1619(b) work incentive or through Medi-Cal's Working Disabled Program.

If you stop getting SSI because your income goes up, but then your income goes down again, you may not have to reapply for SSI benefits.

If it has been less than 12 months since your last SSI payment or if you qualify for SSI 1619(b), you can get your SSI benefits started up again by reporting to your local Social Security office that you are no longer working.

If it has been more than 12 months, you can ask for Expedited Reinstatement (EXR) if:

• Your SSI benefits amount went to zero because of your income
• You can’t work at the Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) level because of your disability
• Your current impairment is the same as the one that originally made you eligible for SSI, and
• You stopped getting SSI benefits less than five years ago.

If you qualify for EXR, you can get up to six months of temporary SSI benefits while Social Security makes sure you still qualify.

You can be on Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) at the same time if your SSDI benefits are low enough. Benefits from SSDI and many other sources are counted as unearned income when calculating your SSI benefits. After the first $20, every dollar in unearned income makes your SSI benefits amount go down by a dollar.