How SSI Benefits Can Help Struggling Seniors and the Disabled

Dear Savvy Senior,

What can you tell me about the SSI program and what are the eligibility requirements for seniors? I’m trying to help my elderly aunt who is very low-income.

     --Searching Niece

Dear Searching,

The SSI program that you’re enquiring about, which stands for Supplemental Security Income, is a program administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA) that provides monthly cash benefits to people that are disabled or over 65 based on financial need.

Currently, around 7.5 million people are receiving SSI benefits, but many more are now eligible as the SSA recently expanded access benefits by tweaking some of the rules. Here’s what you should know.

Eligibility Requirements

To qualify for SSI your aunt must be either age 65 or older, blind or disabled, and must be a U.S. citizen or lawful resident. She must also have limited income and assets.

Her income as an individual must generally be under $1,971 per monthly, or $2,915 for couples. Countable income includes wages or any other kind of money your aunt earned from working, plus money she gets from other sources like unemployment, Social Security retirement, or gifts from friends, but also, free shelter.

And her assets must also be less than $2,000 or $3,000 for couples. This includes cash, bank accounts, other personal property, and anything else that could potentially be converted to cash. Her home, household goods and one vehicle, along with life insurance policies and burial funds valued under $1,500, do not count towards countable assets.

In 2024, the maximum SSI payment is $943 a month for an individual or $1,415 a month for a couple. But, if eligible, the amount your aunt would receive may be lower based on her income, living situation and some other factors.

To help you determine if your aunt is eligible for SSI, help her take the Social Security Administration’s benefits screening test at SSAbest.benefits.gov. This online questionnaire takes approximately 5 minutes to complete and screens for a variety of benefits, not just SSI.

You should also know that most states – except Arizona, Arkansas, Mississippi, North Dakota, Tennessee and West Virginia – supplement the federal SSI payment with payments of their own. In some of the states that pay a supplement, your aunt may qualify for the state payment even if she doesn’t meet the federal SSI eligibility criteria.

How to Apply

If you think that your aunt is eligible for SSI, she (or you) can begin the application process and complete a large part of it online at SSA.gov/apply/ssi. If she’s disabled, she can apply for both SSI and Social Security Disability at SSA.gov/disability. Or, if she can’t apply online, call 800-772-1213 and set up an appointment with her local Social Security office.

To help make the application process go quickly and smoothly, your aunt will need her Social Security number; birth certificate or other proof of age; information about the home where she lives, such as her mortgage, or lease and the landlord’s name; payroll slips, bank books, insurance policies, burial fund records and other information about her income and the things she owns; her proof of U.S. citizenship or eligible noncitizen status; and if she is applying for SSI because she is disabled or blind, the names, addresses and telephone numbers of doctors, hospitals and clinics that have information related to her condition.

For more information visit SSA.gov/ssi or see Social Security’s online SSI publication at SSA.gov/pubs/EN-05-11000.pdf.

Other Assistance Programs

Depending on your aunt’s income, there are other financial assistance programs that may be able to help her like Medicare Savings Programs, prescription drug assistance, food stamps and energy assistance. To locate these programs, and learn how to apply for them, go to BenefitsCheckUp.org.

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.