How to apply for ssi for seniors

How to Qualify for Social Security Disability Benefits

After the initial shock of finding out that they are seriously ill most people start to worry. They worry about how to fight their illness, but also, they worry about how to survive when they can’t work. If you’ve worked most of your life it can be scary to think about how you’re going to get by without working. The Social Security Administration offers Social Security disability benefits to people who have worked and paid taxes but now can’t work because of their health. That money can be used to pay for basic living expenses, medical equipment, medication, or anything that your insurance company doesn’t cover. The only requirement that you have to meet in order to file a claim is that you expect that your health won’t allow you to work for at least a year.

Table of Contents Show

Disability and Medical Eligibility
Medical Vocational Allowance
Starting A Claim
Requirements for Noncitizens
How to Apply
Getting Your Application Ready
Be ready to:
Be ready to:
Apply for Other Benefits While Your SSI Application Is Reviewed
Where do I go to apply for SSI?
How much SSI will I get?

Disability and Medical Eligibility

The SSA has some strict requirements that you must meet in order to qualify for disability benefits. You must have a doctor’s diagnosis showing you have a condition that is listed in the SSA’s Blue Book. There are hundreds of conditions listed in the Blue Book and each one has a list of requirements that you must meet in order to be eligible for benefits. The Blue Book is searchable online so you can find out if your illness is there.

Some of the more common conditions that can qualify a person for disability benefits include:

Cancer
Nerve disorders
Arthritis
Back and Musculoskeletal disorders
Lung disorders
Vision loss
Hearing loss
Depression
Anxiety

When you file a claim for disability benefits you will need to submit medical documentation including your diagnosis with your claim. Statements from doctors and therapists, test results, treatment plans, and other medical documentation can all be used as evidence to support your claim.

Medical Vocational Allowance

If you meet the Blue Book listing requirements for the illness that you have then you won’t find it tough to be eligible for benefits. But what if you can’t work because of your illness and you don’t meet the listing in the Blue Book requirements? You can still be eligible for benefits if you ask for a Medical Vocational Allowance.

To get the Medical Vocational Allowance you must be too sick to perform the kind of work that you used to do. The SSA will perform a Residual Functional Capacity exam to see if there is a different kind of work that you can do. They will look at factors like how well you can see a screen or hear the phone, or if you can type or not, or if you can sit for four hours at a stretch throughout the day. If the SSA finishes the evaluation and finds that there isn’t any work that you can do with the symptoms or side effects of treatment that you have now, then you will be eligible for Social Security disability benefits.

Starting A Claim

It can take time to have a claim for disability benefits processed so don’t wait. You can apply online, but most people find it easier to apply in person. Make an appointment at your local SSA office and bring your medical records and documentation with you. A staff member at the SSA will help you fill out and submit your claim.

Resources:

SSA’s Website: https://www.ssa.gov/

Blue Book Description: https://www.disabilitybenefitscenter.org/glossary/blue-book

Medical Vocational Allowance: https://www.disabilitybenefitscenter.org/glossary/medical-vocational-allowance

How to Apply Online: https://www.disabilitybenefitscenter.org/faq/apply-online

Local SSA Office: https://secure.ssa.gov/ICON/main.jsp

Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

To qualify for Supplemental Security Income (SSI), you must:

Be a U.S. citizen or qualified alien
Have a disability or be 65 years old or older, and
Have low resources and low income.

This article looks in detail at SSI’s rules for adults ages 18 through 64.

Learn more about the rules for children under 18 in DB101’s Benefits for Young People article.

Requirements for Noncitizens

To get SSI, you have to be a U.S. citizen or qualified alien. Examples of qualified aliens include people who are:

Lawfully Admitted for Permanent Residence (LAPR) in the U.S.
Refugees admitted to the U.S. under Section 207 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA)
Granted asylum under Section 208 of the INA

To get SSI, qualified aliens must also meet certain other conditions. For more details about the rules for noncitizens, contact your local Social Security office.

How to Apply

You can apply for SSI:

Online (which starts the application process immediately)
By calling Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 or 1-800-325-0778 (TTY) to make an appointment to apply either:
- Over the phone, or
- In person at your local Social Security office.

Note: If you are approved, you will get SSI benefits for the entire time since the date you applied. That’s why you should apply as soon as you can. If you don’t have everything ready for your application, that’s OK — you can still apply and submit any missing information as quickly as possible.

Note: Due to COVID-19, there may be limits on in-person services. Contact your agency by phone to ask about this.

Getting Your Application Ready

When you apply for SSI, you’ll need to give Social Security:

Basic facts, like your name, date of birth, and address

Note: You don’t need to have a fixed address. If you’re homeless or don’t have a fixed address, you can still get SSI, just like anyone else. Read Social Security’s Spotlight on Homelessness.

Bring:

Identification, like your passport, driver’s license, or state ID
Birth certificate
Proof of U.S. citizenship, like naturalization papers or your U.S. passport, if you are a citizen born outside the U.S.
Social Security Number

Documentation of your medical condition

Bring:

Names of doctors, hospitals, clinics, and professionals who have treated you, including complete addresses and phone numbers
Prescriptions and results of medical tests
Documentation explaining how your medical condition affects your daily life

Be ready to:

Sign forms allowing Social Security to get copies of your medical records
Fill out forms about how your disability affects your daily life
Give Social Security permission to contact your employer, friends, or family to learn how your disability affects you

Documentation of your income

Bring:

A list of the types of jobs you’ve done for the past 15 years
Copies of recent tax records or W-2 forms
Information about other benefits you’re on
School records, if you’re under 22

Documentation of your resources

Bring:

Copies of bank statements

Be ready to:

Answer questions and give proof about any real estate, savings and retirement accounts, stocks, bonds, or other resources that you own

Social Security provides a detailed checklist of the information you need to complete the application process.

Apply for Other Benefits While Your SSI Application Is Reviewed

The SSI application can take four months or longer. While you wait for your SSI benefits to begin, apply for other benefits, such as:

Medicaid, free health coverage for people with low to moderate income. You automatically get Medicaid coverage if you qualify for SSI, but you should apply for it separately if you don't get SSI benefits yet, so that you have coverage until SSI begins. Learn more about Medicaid in DB101’s How Health Benefits Work article.
Food Assistance, a monthly cash benefit for people with low income that helps pay for food. If you and everybody else in your household gets either SSI or Ohio Works First (OWF) benefits, you automatically qualify for Food Assistance.
Ohio Works First (OWF), a monthly cash benefit for families with children that also helps parents find work.
Emergency cash assistance and housing, if you need them.

To apply for these benefits:

Apply online, or
Fill out the combined application form (available in other languages) and submit it to your County Department of Job and Family Services (CDJFS) office.

You should also look into:

The Golden Buckeye Card for discounts at many businesses
Lifeline Telephone Assistance for low-cost phone service, and
Energy Assistance Programs for help with home heating bills and weatherization of your home.

The Disability Financial Assistance (DFA) program ended

Disability Financial Assistance was a program that paid a small monthly benefit to low-income people with disabilities who do not get SSI. This benefit helped until Social Security decided on an SSI application and ended when a person started getting SSI benefits.

The program was phased out in 2017 and no longer offers benefits.

Learn more

Where do I go to apply for SSI?

You can apply for SSI benefits by: Calling us at 1-800-772-1213 (or TTY 1-800-325-0778 if you are deaf or hard of hearing) and making an appointment to apply for SSI. If you are deaf or hard of hearing, we also will take your telecommunications relay services (TRS) assisted calls at 1-800-772-1213.

How much SSI will I get?

SSI amounts for 2023 The monthly maximum Federal amounts for 2023 are $914 for an eligible individual, $1,371 for an eligible individual with an eligible spouse, and $458 for an essential person.