Our law firm sees disabled clients that are facing various different financial circumstances. They may have worked their whole life and then became disabled. They may have been out of work for a decade or more and became fully disabled. They may also be the low-income parents of a child who is fully disabled.
All of these different individuals may have options when it comes to disability benefits. Social Security Disability benefits are there for individuals who have paid into the system via work contributions and are not able to work due to their disability. But what happens when an individual has not been working and has not paid into the system for a long time? Those individuals may qualify for Supplemental Security Income.
There are several qualifications that these individuals need to meet in order to get these benefits. The individual must be 65 years of age or older, blind or disabled. The disabled person can also be a child. The individual needs to have limited income and resources. That number for 2016 needs to be below $2,000. This includes things such as cash, bank accounts, vehicles and other possessions. In many cases there are certain assets or certain income that may be excluded when calculating the ‘countable income.’
When someone goes to apply for SSI benefits, they need to have strong evidence supporting their income level and their disability. They may benefit from working with an attorney who has experience with the SSI program and can help that individual navigate the process.