Practice Area — SSI
SSI is a needs-based benefit for adults and children with disabilities and limited financial resources. The eligibility rules are narrow, easily misapplied, and unforgiving when documentation is incomplete.
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Supplemental Security Income is a federal program that pays monthly benefits to people with disabilities, blindness, or who are sixty-five or older and who have very limited income and resources. Unlike SSDI, SSI does not depend on prior work history. Eligibility is based on medical condition and financial need.
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SSI applies strict resource limits — currently two thousand dollars for an individual and three thousand for a couple, excluding the primary home and one vehicle. Countable income includes wages, certain benefits, and in-kind support such as free housing or food.
Even small changes in household composition, support from family, or a brief return to work can affect eligibility. Reporting requirements are continuous, and overpayment notices often arrive years after the fact.
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For adults, SSA uses the same five-step medical evaluation as SSDI. The condition must prevent substantial gainful activity and be expected to last at least twelve months. The financial side is evaluated separately and is where many otherwise valid claims fail.
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For children, SSA evaluates whether the impairment causes marked and severe functional limitations under pediatric listings or the functional-equivalence standard. School records, evaluations, therapy notes, and statements from teachers and treating providers carry significant weight.
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SSI claims rise and fall on documentation. Treatment records, medication history, functional assessments, school records for children, bank statements, lease agreements, and proof of household composition all matter. Missing or inconsistent documents are among the most common reasons claims are denied or delayed.
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Underreporting symptoms, omitting providers, miscounting household income, failing to disclose in-kind support, and assuming gaps in treatment will be overlooked all weaken a claim. So does responding to agency notices without understanding what is being asked.
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Experienced representation helps families understand what counts as income, how to handle benefits like SNAP and housing assistance, how to respond to overpayment notices, and how to appeal a denial within the sixty-day deadline. We prepare the file the agency should have seen the first time.
Video overview coming soon.
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