If we find you disabled, there is generally a five-month waiting period before we can begin your benefits. We will pay your first benefit the sixth full month after the date we find your disability began. However, there is no waiting period if your disability results from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) if you were approved for benefits on or after July 23, 2020. See When Your Benefits Start for more information. Anyone who is: And, who:
WHAT DOES "AGED" MEAN?"Aged" means age 65 or older. WHAT IS "BLINDNESS" FOR AN ADULT OR CHILD?Blindness in our disability programs means:
If you have a visual impairment, but are not blind according to our rules as defined above, you may still be eligible for SSI benefits on the basis of disability. See the definitions of disability for children and adults below. WHAT DOES “DISABLED” MEAN FOR A CHILD?If you are under age 18 we may consider you “disabled” if you have a medically determinable physical or mental impairment, (including an emotional or learning problem) that: If you are age 18 or older, the adult definition of disability explained below applies. WHAT DOES “DISABLED” MEAN FOR AN ADULT?If you are age 18 or older we may consider you “disabled” if you have a medically determinable physical or mental impairment (including an emotional or learning problem) which: SSA is committed to providing benefits quickly to claimants whose medical conditions are so serious that their conditions clearly meet disability standards. Compassionate Allowances (CAL) are a way to quickly identify diseases and other medical conditions that, by definition, meet Social Security’s standards for disability benefits. These conditions primarily include certain cancers, adult brain disorders, and a number of rare disorders that affect children. The CAL initiative helps reduce waiting time to reach a disability determination for individuals with the most serious disabilities. By incorporating cutting-edge technology, the agency can easily identify potential CAL to quickly make decisions. SSA receives information form the public, advocacy groups, comments received from the Social Security and Disability Determination Services communities, counsel from medical and scientific experts, research with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and information received from past public outreach hearings regarding potential CAL conditions. Go to www.ssa.gov/compassionateallowances/ for more information on CAL. WHAT DOES "LIMITED INCOME"INCLUDE?Income, for the purposes of SSI includes:
WHAT ARE "LIMITED RESOURCES"?Resources, for the purposes of SSI, are things you own such as:
The SSI limits for resources that we do count are: Individual/Child — $2,000 CITIZEN / NON–CITIZEN STATUSTo get SSI, you must be: WHEN IS A NON-CITIZEN ELIGIBLE FOR SSI?Beginning August 22, 1996, most non–citizens must meet two requirements to be eligible for SSI: A non–citizen must also meet all of the other requirements for SSI eligibility, including the limits on income, resources, etc. WHO IS A “QUALIFIED ALIEN”?There are seven categories of non–citizens who are qualified aliens. You are a "qualified alien" if the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) says you are in one of these categories:
In addition, you can be a “deemed qualified alien” if, under certain circumstances, you, your child, or your parent has been subjected to battery or extreme cruelty by a family member while in the United States. UNDER WHAT CONDITIONS IS A “QUALIFIED ALIEN” ELIGIBLE FOR SSI?If you are in one of the seven "qualified alien" categories listed above, or have been determined to be a “deemed qualified alien” because you have been subjected to battery or extreme cruelty, you may be eligible for SSI benefits if you have limited income and resources and are aged, blind, or disabled and also meet one of the following conditions:
EXEMPTION FROM THE AUGUST 22, 1996 LAW FOR CERTAIN NON-CITIZEN INDIANSCertain categories of non–citizens may be eligible for SSI and are not subject to the August 22, 1996, law. These categories include: ADDITIONAL ELIGIBLE ALIEN CATEGORIESVictims of Severe Forms of Human Trafficking: You may be eligible for SSI under certain circumstances if the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement and the Department of Homeland Security determine that you meet the requirements of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000. Iraqi/Afghan Special Immigrants: You may also qualify for SSI for a period of seven years if you are an Iraqi or Afghani special immigrant admitted to the United States. On September 30, 2021, Congress passed the Afghanistan Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2022 (Public Law 117-43) and Section 2502 of this legislation provides that Afghan humanitarian parolees, known as Non-Special Immigrant Parolees, may qualify for SSI until March 31, 2023, or until the end of their parole period, whichever is later.
WHAT IS RESIDENCY?You must: WHO IS NOT ELIGIBLE FOR SSI? |
See SSI RESOURCES and the SSI Spotlight on Transfers of Resources. |
SOMEONE WHO IS A NON–CITIZEN SSI RECIPIENT WHO FAILS TO MEET THE ALIEN STATUS REQUIREMENTS
SOMEONE WHO IS AN SSI RECIPIENT WHO IS ABSENT FROM THE U.S. FOR A FULL CALENDAR MONTH OR FOR 30 CONSECUTIVE DAYS OR MORE
Except for certain students temporarily abroad for study purposes or a child of military parents stationed overseas, an individual is not eligible for SSI benefits for any month during all of which he or she has been outside the U.S. Once an individual has been outside the U.S. for 30 consecutive days or longer, he or she must be back in the U.S. for 30 consecutive days to be eligible for SSI benefits.
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