SSI Eligibility Guidelines for the Blind and Disabled

SSI Eligibility Guidelines for the Blind and Disabled

If you feel that you may need financial help from the government due to disability, the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is available. This can also apply if you have reached retirement age.

The following are some of the general guidelines for SSI. For more information or clarification, please visit your nearest government office that handles this program.

SSI guidelines

You can be eligible for SSI benefits if you are:

- 65 years of age or older, blind or otherwise disabled

- limited in income and resources

- A U.S. citizen or a qualified alien

- A resident of one of the States, the District of Columbia or the Northern Mariana Islands

- Not absent from the country for more than 30 consecutive days

Be aware that other applications for assistance, such as pensions or Social Security programs, will be checked. Your financial records will also be checked.

Blindness and Disability

Blindness would mean the following:

- Your central visual acuity is 20/200 or less in your good eye.

- Or, your eyesight could be limited such that your widest field of vision is only 20 degrees.

Disabilities differ for children and adults, as follows:

- Individuals below 18 years of age are considered disabled if they have medically-confirmed severe mental or physical limitations that hamper their ability to function, can lead to death or at the very least impair them considerably for not less than 12 months.

- Individuals 18 years of age and above have similar qualifications, with the difference being that the disability should prevent them from doing any substantially gainful activity or limits their income-generating capabilities.

Sign up on the box at the right to receive more information about other family financial help options available in your state.