Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
If you have limited income and resources, you may be able to get SSI. SSI is a federal program that provides monthly payments to people age 65 or older and to people who are blind or disabled. If you get SSI, you also may be able to get other benefits, such as Medicaid and food stamps.
For more information about SSI, ask for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) (Publication No. 05-11000).
A word about Medicare
After you receive disability benefits for 24 months, you will be eligible for Medicare. You will get information about Medicare several months before your coverage starts. If you have permanent kidney failure requiring regular dialysis or a transplant or you have amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease), you may qualify for Medicare almost immediately.
Help for low-income Medicare beneficiaries
If you get Medicare and have low income and few resources, your state may pay your Medicare premiums and, in some cases, other "out-of-pocket" medical expenses such as deductibles and coinsurance. Only your state can decide if you qualify. To find out if you do, contact your state or local welfare office or Medicaid agency. Also, more information is available from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Ask for If you need help paying Medicare costs, there are programs that can help you save money (CMS Publication No. 10126) by calling the Medicare, toll-free number, 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). If you are deaf or hard of hearing, you may call TTY 1-877-486-2048.
Food stamps
You can get a food stamp application and information at any Social Security office. Or ask for Food Stamps And Other Nutrition Programs (Publication No. 05-10100) or Food Stamp Facts (Publication No. 05-10101).
There are 14 Comments
apply for disability
I just stopped working 09/03/2008 due to terminal illiness how soon can i apply for social security disability?
reply to comment
go and do this immediatly,,,,,,,,,,you can do this online,,,,,,,,,but do it as soon as possible........i hope that you will read this it takes along time to get the benifits from ss diasbility........ it took me 3 yrs. i hope that it don't take you that long..........if you can go to the social security office and talk to them about your problem........maybe they can help..................much good luck.........
If you do finally win your
If you do finally win your case and say it takes three years, do they go back to the date of injury and ajust your payment from then on or from the day you win your appeal? Also if you do win your case and they do go back three years do you get that back pay and do you get it in one lump sum or paid a little with each check untill paid up?
started my claim in 2003 won 2008
what well my back pay be
back pay 4-26-03 to 11-18-08
iwon my case in 11-18-08 applied in 4-26-03
I have had a heart transplant
I have had a heart transplant and a stroke and still cannt get disability. they say I have not got enough credits. Sorry I was a little busy having 10 heart attacks before my transplant. boy am I screwed ,as i cannt even afford my needles for my insulin, I also have dibetes he gov. office finally got me a medicaid card to try and help it isnt much help my bills keep mounting and i just cannt afford the drugs I must take that medicaid doesnt cover. I wont live long this way. Mary
Disability
Did you try the appeals process? Here are a couple links regarding appeals which may be useful. There are also third-parties who can assist with an appeal.
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/disability/appeal
http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/10041.html
I was approved in Sept 2008 for SS Dis.
How can I find out about my case and how they determined the extent of my disability? By this I mean what is my disability % and why will they re-look at my case in 3 years? I thought that if your were found to be disabled your were considered disabled permanently?
Permanent disability
You can check your disability status online here :
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/claimstatus/
Your disability status depends on the nature of your disability. Some are deemed temporary (ex. recoverable accident), and your case will be re-evaluated on a regular basis. Other disabilities are deemed permanent, and will not be re-evaluated.
Here's one example of a how a temporary case can be handled :
http://ssa-custhelp.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/ssa.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_fa...
disability home improvement help
my husband is totally blind and had his left leg amputated below the knee. We need our bathroom made safe for my husband to shower. Someone please help with where to go or what to do. I have called and emailed everyone. No luck so far. Thanks so much for your time.
Home improvement grants for disabled
I'm not familiar with any specific home improvement grant from the SSA. I assume you have worked with the SSA and are getting the maximum disability benefit possible from the SSA.
Here are a couple links which may be useful regarding this. The first points to possible federal government programs that may help :
http://portal.hud.gov/portal/page/portal/HUD/groups/disabilities
The second points to potential assistance at the state level :
http://www.disability.gov/state/index
cost of living increase
i,ve been getting ssdi since 2005 i haven,t recieved a in crease in over 3yrs and also i getting married so will my benefit amonut increase since i,am getting married
Cost-of-living Adjustment - COLA - Married disability
Yes, COLAs have been hard to come by recently. There was 5.8 percent COLA increase for 2009, but no COLA increase in 2010 nor 2011.
http://www.ssa.gov/pressoffice/pr/2009cola-pr.htm
http://www.ssa.gov/cola/2010/2010faqs.htm
http://www.ssa.gov/pressoffice/pr/2011cola-pr.htm
http://www.ssa.gov/history/briefhistory3.html#colas
If you receive retirement or Social Security disability insurance (SSDI) benefits, your marriage will not affect your benefit.
http://ssa-custhelp.ssa.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/2310
Social Security COLA for January, 2012
Monthly Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for more than 60 million Americans will increase 3.6 percent in 2012.
The 3.6 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) will begin with benefits that nearly 55 million Social Security beneficiaries receive in January 2012. Increased payments to more than 8 million SSI beneficiaries will begin on December 30, 2011.
There was no COLA in 2010 and 2011 because the CPI-W, as determined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the Department of Labor, for those years did not increase above the level of the third quarter of 2008, the last year a COLA was determined.
http://www.ssa.gov/cola/