Eligibility for the Supplemental Security Income administered by the Social Security Administration is based on financial need. The monthly benefit payments allow recipients to buy food and pay for housing. Any interruption in those payments could mean financial hardship.
If your SSI benefits have been suspended or terminated, you’ll want to know the SSI reinstatement process timeframe. The following information explains the process for reinstating Supplemental Security Income benefits and how to get expedited reinstatement or obtain provisional benefits to prevent or ease financial hardship.
The SSI program
The SSI program pays benefits monthly to individuals and couples who are blind, disabled, or age 65 and older. Adults and children may qualify for benefits provided they have limited resources and income. For example, the total value of resources or assets that a person owns may not exceed $2,000 for individuals and $3,000 for eligible couples.
Other requirements claimants must meet to qualify for SSI include:
- Citizenship: You must be a U.S. citizen or national, but the program is open to certain classifications of noncitizens granted an exception to the citizenship requirement by the federal government.
- Residency: Recipients must live in one of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, or the Northern Mariana Islands.
- Leaving the U.S.: Recipients of SSI benefits may not leave the U.S. for more than 30 consecutive days or a full calendar month.
- Confinement: You cannot receive SSI benefits while confined to a hospital, prison, or other institution at government expense.
If you fail to continue meeting the eligibility requirements, including the limits on income and resources and being blind or disabled, or providing false information to the Social Security Administration, your benefits could be suspended.
Reasons SSI Benefits Could Be Suspended
Approval of your application for SSI does not end the review process. The Social Security Administration schedules continuing disability reviews of your case at intervals ranging from six months to seven years, depending on the nature of your disability.
The reviews seek to determine if you remain eligible for benefits based on your medical condition. Disability reviews do not apply to someone who qualifies for SSI benefits based on being 65 or older.
Another reason for suspension or termination includes no longer meeting one or more of the eligibility requirements. For example, if you go to jail or prison for 30 days or longer, Social Security suspends your SSI benefits. However, if you are imprisoned for more than 12 months, your benefits are terminated.
Procedures To Reinstate Benefits And Expedited Reinstatement
Knowing how long to reinstate SSI is an essential step toward success. Generally, you can reinstate SSI benefits without filing a new application, provided you do so within 12 consecutive months from suspension’s effective date.
An exception to the general rule exists for blind or disabled children whose parents are in the U.S. military and stationed overseas. Children of service members have 24 months to reinstate SSI benefits without filing a new application. Learn more about this and other military-related exceptions to the 12-month reinstatement rule during a free consultation with a disability lawyer at Sackett and Associates.
Recipients of SSI whose benefits are suspended may be reinstated before the end of the suspension period by producing documentation of reestablishment of eligibility. For example, if a person’s benefits were suspended because they are serving a six-month jail sentence, and they get out of jail sooner, they can reinstate their benefits with official documentation of their early release.
If your SSI benefits are terminated or suspended, you may appeal the action taken the Social Security Administration. You must request an appeal within 60 days from the notice informing you of the action taken.
Expedited Reinstatement Of SSI Benefits And Provisional Benefits
If you had SSI benefits because you returned to work, you may be entitled to expedited reinstatement without filing a new application if the medical condition again prevents you from working. You also may be entitled to as much as six months of provisional benefits during the SSI benefits reinstatement time.
To be eligible for expedited reinstatement and provisional or temporary benefits, you need to meet all of the following requirements:
- Your benefits stopped because you returned to work.
- You can no longer work because of the same medical condition that previously met the eligibility standards for SSI.
- The request for reinstatement is made within five years of the benefits ending.
If you are eligible for expedited reinstatement, you can receive up to six months of benefits and Medicaid coverage.
Getting Help Reinstating Your Disability Benefits
SSI reinstatement is difficult and requires knowledge of complex rules and procedures. You have too much at stake not to have an experienced disability lawyer handle it for you. Learn more during a free consultation by contacting Sackett Law today
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