Houston Social Security
Disability Attorney

Photo of David Dopkin
Photo of David Dopkin

Requirements to receive Supplemental Security Income benefits

On Behalf of | Dec 8, 2017 | Supplemental Security Income

Supplemental Security Income is a program administered by the Social Security Administration and is available to individuals who meet the program’s eligibility requirements. This blog post will give a brief description of the program requirements for Texas residents and others.

A person may be eligible for SSI if they are aged at least 65, if they are blind or if they are disabled. Blind is defined as either having central visual acuity of 20/200 or less in one’s better eye with use of a correcting lens; or as having a visual field limitation in one’s better eye, such that the widest diameter of the visual field subtends an angle no greater than 20 degrees. Disabled means a medically determinable physical or mental impairment which results in the inability to do any substantial gainful activity and either can be expected to result in death or has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months.

Furthermore, in order to be eligible for Supplemental Security Income, a person must have limited income, limited resources and must be a U.S. citizen or national or in one of certain categories of aliens. A person must meet certain residency requirements as well in order to qualify for SSI. The Social Security Administration can request permission from an applicant to grant the administration access to bank records and financial records. An applicant may also be asked to apply for other cash benefits that the applicant may be eligible for.

The Social Security Administration has expressed a commitment to providing benefits quickly to applicants whose medical conditions are so serious that their conditions clearly meet disability standards. For people who meet the eligibility requirements but do not have medical conditions that the administration deems sufficiently serious, they may have a harder time getting benefits. Many people in this boat get legal help with the appeals process.

Source: Social Security Administration, “Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Eligibility Requirements,” accessed on Dec. 3, 2017