[blindkid] SSI question

David Andrews dandrews at visi.com
Wed Jun 26 02:50:31 UTC 2013


No, SSI is not a prerequisite of receiving VR services, and it would 
be illegal for a state to try and make it so.

Dave

At 10:51 PM 6/24/2013, you wrote:
>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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