Eligibility

• Eligibility requirements include having a low monthly income and few assets or resources in addition to your disability, blindness or elder age. An applicant must have a Social Security number and live in the United States. Resources do not include a house, car, burial plots, burial insurance under $1,500 or life insurance under $1,500. Bank accounts, stocks, bonds, property other than the homestead and most other assets or resources cannot total more than $2,000 for an individual. Social Security offsets SSI benefits by income at 50 percent, so if you make more than about $1,400 a month in 2011, you receive zero SSI benefits for the month in which that income applies.
  
  

Application

• Individuals apply for SSI at the local Social Security office. There is no online application for this program although you can complete an online adult disability report if your SSI is the result of a disability. Social Security employees verify personal information about finances, belongings and living arrangements. You will need to bring receipts for your rent or house payment, utility bills, bank account information, deeds for property ownership and agreements for living arrangements. Social Security may also request citizenship papers.
  
  

Continued Eligibility

• The SSI recipient must report changes in living arrangements, income and resources. Variable income requires monthly reporting 10 days after the end of the month in which the changes occur. This affects the SSI check two months forward. If your benefits reach zero because of an income offset, you may continue to qualify for SSI the following month. You cannot leave the United States for more than 30 days at a time and collect SSI benefits for the time you are away. A nursing home stay or similar institutionalization may affect your SSI benefits.
  
  

Other Benefits

• The federal SSI monthly payment is $674 in 2011. Some states supplement this benefit, providing further assistance to needy individuals. All states but California permit SSI recipients to receive supplemental nutrition assistance or food stamps. SSI recipients qualify for Medicaid as well. Social Security assists SSI recipients with returning to work through work incentives and assistance programs, such as setting aside funds for starting a business or attending school. Individuals who no longer qualify for SSI because of work may restart benefits within 12 months without a new application. Medicaid may extend benefits for previous SSI beneficiaries whose earnings are too high for SSI continuation.