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Do I Get Medical Benefits if I’m Awarded Supplemental Security Income Benefits?
Yes! If you are found eligible for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits, you automatically become eligible for Medicaid. Medicaid is a federal health insurance program for poor people, usually managed by each state.
Your income and assets must be under certain limits to qualify for Medicaid. Depending on your circumstances, you might be eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid coverage.
You can learn more about your eligibility for Medicare and / or Medicaid by contacting your state health insurance program counselor. Go to www.shiphelp.org to learn more about your rights to Medicaid and / or Medicare, and what is right for you.
Are Supplemental Security Income Benefits a Supplement to Social Security Disability Benefits?
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits are a federal welfare program that pays a basic fixed benefit per month. To get SSI benefits, you must have limited income and assets, and meet the Social Security Five-Step Sequential Evaluation test. Individuals are only allowed to have $2000 in assets, while a couple are only allowed to have $3000 in combined assets. There are also limits on how much you can earn per month.
On the other hand, Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits are funded by withholdings from your paycheck. You must have worked twenty out of the last forty quarters to be insured, and must meet the Social Security Five-Step Sequential Evaluation test.
Can You Be Eligible for Both SSI and SSD?
You might be eligible for benefits under both the SSD and SSI programs at the same time. This is called a concurrent claim.
However, drawing Social Security Disability benefits can reduce your Supplemental Security Income benefits, or even make you ineligible for SSI.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) considers SSD benefits, and other income, in calculating your SSI benefits.
You can’t get SSI if your countable income, as defined by Social Security, exceeds a federally set threshold. In 2022, you can’t earn more than $841 a month for an individual, or $1261 for a couple. The SSA will consider SSD, and other benefit payments, to be countable income.
How Benefits Are Calculated
The SSA exempts $20 a month in income. If you get an SSD benefit that exceeds $861.00 per month, you won’t qualify for SSI. If your SSD payment is less than that, you might be able to get SSI, but it’s going to be reduced by your SSD benefits.