Sandy is 38-years old and lives with her mother. Sandy does not contribute to household expenses. During her early and mid-20s, Sandy worked as a clerk. At age 30, Sandy had an emotional breakdown and was hospitalized for several months. During the next four years, she attempted to work several times but each time she had a relapse and was forced to stop working. Finally, at age 34 she stopped work altogether and applied for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits. Her claim was denied at both the initial level and at reconsideration. She then sought an attorney and her claim was then approved when she appeared before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ).
Sandy has now been collecting SSDI benefits since her claim was approved by the ALJ. Her monthly check is $635 and she qualifies for Medicaid because her monthly countable income is less than $1000, the one-person income limit for Medicaid under her state’s “medically needy program.” If it was higher she would be required to pay a Medicaid “spend down.”
Sandy has called you and wants to know if she qualifies for SSI. She claims that a friend gets a similar amount of SSDI per month and qualifies for a small SSI check. Is Sandy eligible for SSI?
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