 | Glossary:
Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
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Rules that allow Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients to keep their SSI benefit at a lower level when they return to work.
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The maximum amount of assets you're allowed to own while maintaining eligibility for a particular disability benefits program.
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Assets are things that you own, like a car or a house. You can only own a certain number of assets and still qualify for most health care and disability benefit programs. The home you live in and the car you drive to work are exempt under most Social Security and state disability benefit programs.
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A trained expert who can help you understand or apply for benefit programs. Their goal is to help you avoid financial complications while developing a sustainable plan for the future. To find a benefits planner in California, use the DB101 Benefits Planner Directory. |
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A BPQY is a report that summarizes your current Social Security disability benefits. To order one, visit your local Social Security office or call 800-772-1213 (voice); 800-325-0778 (TTY). Be sure to review your BPQY carefully. If you have questions about it, contact a benefits planner or Social Security. |
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Documented expenses needed in order to work that are reported to Social Security with wage reports. BWEs are for individuals who are awarded Supplemental Security Income because they meet Social Security's rules for being blind.
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The Social Security publication that provides detailed information about disability programs to physicians and other health care professionals. The Blue Book includes the complete Listing of Impairments, which lists and defines those conditions considered severe enough to prevent a person from doing any gainful activity. The Blue Book can now be accessed online. |
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This is the income amount which reduces your Supplemental Security Income payment to zero when Social Security uses the countable income calculation. Your break even point can be determined by your earned and unearned income, living arrangements, and applicable income exclusions. |
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The federal government pays benefits planners in communities around the country to help people think ahead about work incentives and benefits issues. CWIC'S are benefits planners who are trained by the Social Security Administration to assist beneficiaries with programs including Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) in addition to other related programs.
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A periodic review to determine if there has been any medical improvement in your condition and/or to determine whether you continue to be eligible for Social Security benefits for other reasons. The two types of reviews are called a medical CDR and a work CDR.
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The calculation used to determine how much of your unearned and earned income is counted when determining your SSI benefit and eligibility.
Step 1: If you have unearned income (for example, an SSDI benefit), subtract a $20 "General Income Exclusion" from it to calculate your countable unearned income. If you do not have unearned income, this exclusion is applied to any earned income.
Step 2: If you have earned income (for example, wages), subtract a $65 "Earned Income Exclusion" from it (along with the remainder of the $20 "General Income Exclusion" that you have not applied to Unearned Income), along with any Impairment Related Work Expenses, and divide the resulting figure by two to find your countable earned income. If you have Blind Work Expenses, subtract them after you divide.
Step 3: Add your countable unearned income to your countable earned income to find your total countable income.
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The amount of another person’s income (a spouse or parent, for example) that is considered to belong to the individual regardless of whether the person receives this money. |
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The inability to engage in any Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) due to any medically determinable physical or mental impairment which can be expected to result in death or last for a continuous period of at least 12 months. A person must not only be unable to do his/her previous work but cannot, considering age, education, and work experience, engage in any other kind of SGA which exists in the national economy. It doesn't mattter whether such work exists in the immediate area, or whether a specific job vacancy exists, or whether the worker would be hired if he/she applied for work. The worker’s impairment(s) must be the primary reason for his/her inability to engage in SGA.
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Salaries, wages, tips, professional fees and other amounts received as pay for physical or mental work actually performed. Funds received from any other source are not included. (Contrast unearned income.) |
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Immediate reinstatement of benefits for individuals whose Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and/or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) ended due to employment. This provision is available for up to 5 years after Social Security work incentives have been exhausted.
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The national benefit amount, established by the Social Security Administration (SSA), for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients. The Federal Benefit Rate (FBR) is administered by SSA for all states and Commonwealths annually. For 2010, the FBR is $674 for an individual and $1,011 for a couple. |
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Income before taxes and other deductions are made.
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A form for individuals with HIV/AIDS who are applying for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits. The form requires physicians to identify whether an individual has one of the 41 opportunistic infections listed on the form, and to specify any "repeated manifestations" of other symptoms that restrict certain aspects of the individual's life.
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Documented expenses for services or items that are related to one's impairment and needed in order to work. Wheelchairs, physician visits, co-pays for prescriptions, and other medical expenses are some examples of IRWEs. The expenses must be verified by original receipts and canceled checks.
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The adjustment of payments when an individual is eligible for more than one benefit program.
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Accessible cash resources that include: individual/joint checking and savings accounts, retirement accounts, stocks, bonds, mining rights and cash value in a life insurance policy.
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This is Minnesota's welfare-to-work program. It provides both cash and food assistance to low-income families with children. MFIP used to be called "Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC)."
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The date, after reviewing an individual's medical records, that Social Security determines that a disability began. The date Social Security receives an application does not necessarily establish the onset date.
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Payment that exceeds the approved benefit amount.
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Social Security uses this as one measure of whether or not a beneficiary should receive an independent living benefit rate. A child is considered to be under "parental control" if their parent has the authority to make decisions on their behalf.
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The process used to determine how much of a parent's income is spent on a child’s basic needs. Some of the parent's income may be considered the child's when determining whether or not the child is eligible for disability benefit programs. |
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A Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program that allows you to set aside income and resources for expenses related to a specific work goal. Income that you use for these expenses will not cause your SSI benefit to decrease. Resources that you spend on PASS expenses won't count towards the SSI limit.
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A Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program that allows you to set aside income and resources for expenses related to a specific work goal. Income that you use for these expenses will not cause your SSI benefit to decrease. Resources that you spend on PASS expenses won't count towards the SSI limit.
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A status granted to Supplemental Security Income (SSI) applicants who have a high chance of being found disabled according to Social Security Administration (SSA) standards. If the SSA finds you presumptively disabled, they will begin benefit payments while your application is still being reviewed.
The SSA may find you presumptively disabled if you meet the medical criteria of the Blue Book Listing of Impairments or if you have HIV/AIDS and meet the criteria of SSA Form 4814. In either case, you must also meet SSI financial requirements to be eligible for presumptive disability benefits.
Repayments of presumptive disability benefits are not required even if SSI benefits are ultimately denied.
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The date an individual first contacts the Social Security Administration (SSA) to file for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. The protective filing date establishes the earliest possible date an individual can receive SSI benefits.
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Quick benefit restart is a feature of the SSI program that makes it easy to restart your SSI benefit if you lost it because of work alone. If you are 1619(b) eligible and you stop working, you will be able to get your SSI benefit restarted quickly without having to file a new application or wait for medical review. |
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Payments made for the period between disability onset and application approval.
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A rule that allows certain people to keep their Social Security benefits after being found to no longer be medically disabled. For Section 301 to apply, a beneficiary has to be participating in a Social Security approved employment support program, and participation in that program has to increase the likelihood that the beneficiary will not need Social Security benefits after completing the program. Vocational rehabilitation and PASS are two examples of “Social Security approved employment support programs." |
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The Social Security Administration (SSA) oversees the SSI and SSDI programs. You contact SSA by calling 1-800-772-1213 (ph) or 1-800-325-0778 (TTY), or you can use the Social Security office locator to find the office nearest you. |
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Provisions that allow Supplemental Security Income (SSI) beneficiaries to retain Medi-Cal coverage when their combined income is too high to receive any SSI cash benefit. To continue receiving Medi-Cal, an individual must meet all of the following 1619(b) provisions:
- Received an SSI benefit payment in the past twelve months
- Meet medical disability requirements
- Meet non-disability requirements
- Need Medi-Cal health coverage to continue working
- Have wages below the 1619(b) threshold amount of $34,324 annually ($37,252 if blind) as of 2010 in California
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In addition to your home and one car, there are several other resources that may be excluded when determining your SSI countable resource total. Earned Income Tax Credits ( EITC), Child Tax Credits (CTC), Food Stamps, grants, scholarships, fellowships, gifts, property essential to self-support, Individual Development Accounts ( IDAs), and many other items may be excluded. Review your resources and your resource exclusions with your PASS Cadre. |
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A voluntary state supplement to the Federal Benefit Rate. The SSP in California is $171 for an individual and $396.20 for a couple. |
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Work that disqualifies an individual from Social Security disability benefits. Social Security uses earning limits to determine whether or not an individual is performing SGA.
For 2010, SGA is $1,000 ($1,640 for people who are blind).
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A standard form that indicates eligibility for the Ticket to Work Program.
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A program of the federal Social Security Administration (SSA) designed to expand access to employment for Social Security beneficiaries with disabilities.
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Funds received from sources for which no paid work activity is performed.
Disability benefits such as SSDI, SSI, short term disability insurance, and long term disability insurance; VA benefits; Workers' Compensation; income from a trust or investment; spousal support; dividends, profits, or funds received from any source other than work are all usually considered unearned income.
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Social Security’s rules that are used to adjust Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits when an individual works.
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Physical or mental activity that is actually performed and results in earned income. |
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