Determining Eligibility for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Benefits*

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a program that pays benefits based upon financial need, rather than the amount of time you have worked. To be considered eligible for SSI, you must meet the following requirements:

• Be disabled, blind, or age 65 (or older);
• Have limited income and limited resources;
• Be a U.S. citizen or national or in one of certain categories of aliens;
• Be a resident of one of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, or the Northern Mariana Islands;
• Not be absent from the country for a full calendar month or for more than 30 consecutive days;
• Have applied for all cash benefits and payments to which you may be entitled;
• Give the Social Security Administration (SSA) permission to request your financial records from any financial institution; and
• Have filed an application with the SSA

If you are an alien, you must fall within one of the following categories to be eligible for SSI benefits:

• You are a Lawfully Admitted for Permanent Residence (LAPR) in the United States
• You were granted conditional entry under § 203(a)(7) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA)
• You are paroled in the United States for a period of at least one year under § 212(d)(5) of the INA
• You are a refugee admitted to the United States under § 207 of the INA
• You were granted asylum under § 208 of the INA
• Your deportation is being withheld under § 243(h) of the INA or your removal is being withheld under § 241(b)(3)
• You are considered a “Cuban or Haitian entrant” under § 501(e) of the Refugee Education Assistance Act of 1980

To be considered a qualified alien, a determination of one of the above categories must be made by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Because the rules governing Supplemental Security Income benefits can be complex, especially when it comes to the citizenship requirement, you may want to contact a disability representative at the National Benefit Center to assist you with your Baltimore SSI disability claim. * It is possible that you can be eligible for both SSI and insured benefits. Contact National Benefits Center, Inc. to see if you are eligible.