Houston residents who are seeking Supplemental Security Income should understand the requirements from the start. To even be eligible for benefits, the person must be blind, disabled or at least 65-years-old and have limited income and limited resources. Regarding income, the Social Security Administration will want to know what income the applicant gets and where it comes from. There are certain sources of income that will be exempt from consideration as the applicant’s income and eligibility are assessed.
It is important to know what will not be considered income when applying. These items and services will not be considered income regardless of their value. If the person is receiving medical care and the facility that is providing it receives payment from a government program or a social service program – even if the person resides at the facility while getting treatment – it will not be considered income. When the person receives social service, cash or an “in-kind” item that comes from the government program, it is not considered income.
When the person sells, exchanges or replaces a resource, this is not income – they will be resources that are simply in a different form. This will include cash or a replacement or repair of an item that was subject to loss, received damage or was stolen. If the person gets an income tax refund, this will not count when calculating resources for SSI. Receiving payments by credit disability or credit life are not considered income.
Getting proceeds from a loan, including money borrowed or received when a loan is repaid is not considered income. Should money be paid by another person to a supplier and done on behalf of the applicant, it is not income. If it is a replacement of income that had already been received such as a paycheck that had been stolen, it is not income. Receiving assistance to protect the person from bad weather like installing a storm door is not income. Any item separate from food or shelter that is an excluded resource that is not liquid is not income if the person retained it.
After meeting the basic requirements to be eligible for SSI-related benefits, income and resources are imperative to eligibility. Understanding what will not be considered income or resources and is therefore shielded is key to a case. Should there be a disagreement about what is considered income or a resource or there is any other issue related to Supplemental Security Income, a law firm that specializes helping people with their Social Security disability cases can help.