Q. My daughter is disabled and, through my service, receives a Veterans Affairs benefit as my dependent. Would this prevent payment of Supplemental Security Income to her?
A. It might. Most income of a Supplemental Security Income applicant lowers any amount payable so, depending on her VA amount, her VA benefit could make her ineligible for SSI or at least reduce any SSI benefit payable. If within SSI income and resource limits, your daughter would then need to have a medical decision made to learn if she meets SSI disability requirements. A VA decision cannot be automatically adopted for SSI because the two are different programs with different rules.
Based on income and resources, Supplemental Security Income provides assistance to low-income disabled and blind people, including children, and to people older than 65. Maximum monthly SSI benefits for 2010 are $674 for an individual and $1,011 for a couple, and this is reduced by your income. Individual, or a couple's income, is considered for adults, while family income is considered for those younger than 18 if living at home. Not all income counts, and income from different sources are treated differently.
Resource levels for 2010 are $2,000 for an individual and $3,000 for a couple. Resources are things owned including real estate and bank accounts. As with income, not all resources count for SSI. For example, the home you live in and the land it is on does not count. Most liquid resources such as bank accounts do count.
If you are under or near these income and resource levels, consider contacting Social Security to ask about SSI. For information or to make an appointment, call the SSA toll-free number, 800-772-1213 (TTY 800-325-0778) or your local office. General information is at www.socialsecurity.gov .
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General information questions can be sent to Howard I. Kossover, SSA, 402 DeMers Ave., Suite 300, Grand Forks ND 58201; phone (701) 772-5518 ext. 200; fax: (701) 772-8622; e-mail: howard.kossover@ssa.gov .
