Individuals over the age of 65 are likely either retired from work, or are at least thinking about retirement. For many people, however, retirement may not seem like a realistic option because they don’t have sufficient savings or income. Likewise, Social Security retirement benefits may not be enough to cover the retiree’s monthly living expenses. In such cases, Supplemental Security Income benefits may be an option.
Social Security retirement benefits are available to people who have worked and earned credits by paying Social Security taxes from their job income. Although these retirement benefits are available to the vast majority of American workers, the amount that they ultimately receive depends largely on what they earned during their career. Thus, people who earned low wages throughout their career will end up with lower retirement benefits than those people who had higher employment earnings.
Because some retired workers may not receive enough in retirement benefits to meet their expenses, SSI can be available in conjunction with retirement benefits. But, retirement benefits generally offset the amount of SSI benefits that a person can receive. In other words, if a retiree is receiving Social Security retirement income, the amount of SSI that they can receive will be reduced by the amount of their retirement benefits.
People in the Houston area who have a low income and are over the age of 65, or who are blind or otherwise disabled, can qualify for SSI. The program is supposed to help people with limited income and few assets, and it is separate from Social Security retirement. Therefore, some people can qualify for both Social Security retirement and SSI.
When it comes to questions or any issues concerning SSI or any other forms of Social Security benefits, the applicant or beneficiary may want to contact an attorney who handles these matters.
Source: Motley Fool, “What Is Supplemental Security Income?,” Accessed on July 7, 2016