[blindkid] SSI question

Arielle Silverman arielle71 at gmail.com
Tue Jun 25 03:51:14 UTC 2013


Is SSI a prerequisite to receive VR services? It wasn't in AZ.
Seems unfortunate if it is, because someone could earn enough not to
be eligible for SSI but still need help with equipment and training,
right?
Arielle

On 6/24/13, melissa R green <graduate56 at juno.com> wrote:
> SSI would be based on the parents income.
> I know lots of families that used SSsi.
> In fact I was an SSI. recipient.
> When I was 18 I was able to become an independent person.
> that meant I recieved my own SSI.  It wasn't tied to my parents income.
> there are some advantages and disadvantages to SSI.
> The biggest disadvantage is that if you are working SSI takes 2 dollars per
>
> dollar you make out of your check.
> For example, I worked for a camp and I got payed 257.00 per week.  So I had
>
> to send my pay stubs in and they took money out of my check for a few
> months.
> Another thing is that you only get a certain amount each month.
> That is based on the state and what they pay into SSI.
> I am glad that I had it because of my family situation.
> But it can be an anoyance.
> Aditionally, It can help and yet it can also hender.
> I won't go into those families that keep their children as dependent soe
> they can get the SSI.
> I have helped many youth get their own SSI payments.
> I think that its a personal decision.
> I would continue to ask questions and and research  the SSI program,  and
> include your son in the decision making.
> Good luck.
> I hope I was some help.
> Keep us posted.
> Blessings,
> Melissa Green and PJ
> facebook Melissa R Green
> Linkedin www.linkedin.com/in/melissagreen5674
> skype: lissa5674
> Goodreads Melissa Green
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Arielle Silverman" <arielle71 at gmail.com>
> To: "Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)"
> <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Monday, June 24, 2013 7:47 PM
> Subject: Re: [blindkid] SSI question
>
>
> Hi Cynthia and all,
>
> I have never received SSI or SSDI. It seems like most blind youth do,
> but in fact I believe only about one in six blind adults is a social
> security beneficiary. I don't know what the numbers are for youth who
> are in high school or college.
> In my own case I always considered SSI to be a backup option if I
> couldn't pay my living expenses, but I never ended up needing to fall
> back on it. I received a generous college scholarship that included
> living stipend, and after I graduated from college I enrolled in a
> Ph.D. program which includes a funded stipend. Before getting the
> scholarship, I did have tentative plans to work part-time in my
> university's disability office or doing other clerical part-time work
> if I needed help paying my living expenses during college. I did have
> a one-year gap period, between the termination of my scholarship and
> starting grad school, when I had no income due to still being in
> college and then attending Louisiana Center for the Blind. During that
> gap year I utilized some financial support from my family, who also
> supported my sighted sister during most of her college years before
> she got a part-time job. I recognize that not all families are able to
> offer this financial safety net.
> The problem with SSI is that I have heard that it can limit a person's
> earning potential and saving potential quite a bit. I don't see any
> reason to get it for a teenager, unless maybe he has blindness-related
> medical expenses and SSI could help pay what your health insurance
> won't. Otherwise I would suggest waiting until college. During
> college, the deciding factor I think is whether Jack is able to find a
> job or whether there is financial support from family, scholarships or
> loans that can help with his living expenses. It is true that blind
> people often have trouble finding entry-level or part-time work before
> obtaining a college degree. Jack is definitely employable but might
> experience some delay in finding his first job, due to inaccessibility
> in many entry-level jobs. If he is having trouble finding summer or
> part-time work and there aren't other funds available to help with
> living expenses, then a *temporary* course of SSI might help until he
> is financially self-supporting. But I wouldn't advise getting it just
> to have some extra money around, because from what I understand, SSI
> beneficiaries are not allowed to save very much without losing
> eligibility. If Jack has any kind of income stream, like from a
> scholarship or job, it is probably best for him to stay free from the
> social security system so that he can start to build up savings or
> maybe even investments.
> I hope this is helpful. If there are any good reasons for collecting
> SSI as a teen that I have missed, or if I misrepresented any facts
> regarding social security rules, please correct me.
>
> Best,
> Arielle
>
> On 6/24/13, Cynthia Davis <cdfiets at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Can anyone provide insights as to why I should/should not consider
>> signing
>> our partially sighted teen up for SSI?  We expect him to be fully
>> employable, thanks to what he learns from his incredible TVI's and
>> generous
>> NFB mentors.
>>
>> Many thanks,
>> Cynthia
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>
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