By Jim Czechowicz
and Rhonda Whitenack
Social Security Public Affairs Office,
Minneapolis

People are sometimes surprised to find that things they thought for years were true are actually false. Over the years I have found that this is often the case with Supplemental Security Income program. Consider these myths and realities:

Myth: You have to be virtually homeless and destitute to qualify for SSI.

Reality: You have to be aged, blind or disabled to qualify for SSI - and you must have little or no income or resources. But you certainly do not have to be homeless or destitute because not everything you earn is counted as income and not everything you own is counted as a resource.

For example, income includes money received from wages and pensions, and such things as food and shelter. The amount of income you can receive each month and still be eligible for SSI depends partly on where you live.

As to resources, you can own a home and car and burial plots and still get benefits. However, other resources such as real estate, bank accounts, cash, stocks and bonds, cannot be worth more than $2,000 if you are unmarried, or $3,000 if you are married.

Myth: You can get Social Security benefits or SSI benefits, but you cannot get both.

Reality: As of April 2006, more than 2.5 million people were receiving both Social Security and SSI benefit payments. 

We count your monthly Social Security benefit as income when we determine your eligibility for SSI, but you can still qualify for SSI as long as you meet overall income and resource limits. For example, suppose Joan Jones receives a monthly Social Security benefit of $300 and has no other income. The SSI federal benefit rate is $603, and the first $20 of income is not counted.  So Jones would be entitled to an SSI benefit of $323 per month in addition to her Social Security.

Myth:  If you get SSI disability benefit payments, your SSI payments will stop if you try to go back to work. 

Reality: If you are getting SSI disability payments and want to work, special rules may help you. You may be able to keep getting SSI payments while you work. As you earn more money, your SSI payments may be reduced or stopped, but you may be able to keep your Medicaid coverage. You also may be able to set aside some money for a work goal or go to school. In this case, the money you set aside will not reduce the amount of your SSI. Blind or disabled people who apply for SSI may get free special services to help them work. These services may include counseling, job training and help in finding work.

For more information about any of these topics, visit www.socialsecurity.gov or call 800/772-1213 (TTY 800/325-0778).