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Can failure to apply for other benefits affect SSI benefits?

On Behalf of | Feb 14, 2019 | Supplemental Security Income

There are many areas of applying for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) that might be confusing. New Jersey residents who are already blind, disabled, over 65 and meet the income and living requirements for SSI benefits could be denied SSI claims for reasons that they never considered. Often, this is a technical mistake that can be rectified and the SSI benefits will be approved on appeal. However, to fully grasp the nuance of applying for SSI benefits, it is wise to have legal assistance from the start.

One issue that frequently comes up is if a person failed to file for other benefits they might be eligible for when seeking SSI benefits. These other benefits will encompass payments the person can get continuously or one time. Included are retirement benefits, pensions, annuities and disability benefits. If, for example, the person could get workers’ compensation, they must apply for it to be able to get SSI – even if they are rejected for the workers’ compensation.

The Social Security Administration will inform an applicant that there are other benefits that he or she might be able to receive. Also, it will tell the person that the ability to get SSI can be negatively affected by failing to apply for those benefits. To apply for these other benefits, the necessary applications and other steps needed to get them must be completed to their eligibility can be assessed. The rules must be adhered to.

When the person does not apply for the other benefits within 30 days of getting the notice from the SSA, he or she cannot get SSI. If the person is applying for SSI, the case will be denied. If the person is already getting SSI, the benefits will stop. It is also possible that the SSA will ask that benefits that were already paid and for which the individual is no longer eligible be repaid. If there is a good reason for not applying for the other benefits within those 30 days or the proper steps were not taken to get the benefits, the person will not be deemed ineligible for SSI.

SSI can be critical for disabled, blind and older people who meet the income limits and need the benefits to make ends meet and get the medical treatment they require. It is a mistake to be denied or to lose the benefits because the person failed to adhere to the rules like applying for other benefits they might be eligible for. When facing this problem, a law firm that understands all areas of Supplemental Security Income should be contacted for help.

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