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Alert: SSI Eligibility Lost Because of Unearned Income

The amount of unearned income (that is, income other than SSI or wages, salary, or net income from a business) you have in this situation is too high to allow you to remain eligible for SSI benefits (including Medicaid). If your unearned income is equal to or greater than $20 over the Federal Benefit Rate (FBR), then you are not eligible for SSI benefits.

You may want to check that your unearned income is, in fact, countable and not excludable (see the topic "SSI Unearned Income - Exclusions" for a complete list).

NOTE: If you find that your unearned income has been incorrectly reported to SSA, you should contact your SSA Claims Representative immediately to report the discrepancy.

NOTE for SSDI Beneficiaries: In most circumstances, when you lose your SSI eligibility, you also lose your eligibility for Medicaid. If you also receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits and Medicare, then Medicaid has been paying your Medicare Part B premium instead of the premium being deducted from your SSDI check.

WorkWORLD does not, however, automatically deduct the premium from your SSDI check when you lose SSI. The reason: some States have programs (such as Medicaid Buy-Ins) that allow you to keep your Medicaid when you lose your SSI because of resources or income. You should check to see if your State has such a program. If not, then you should go back to the "Benefits Received" section and answer "YES" to the question: "Is Your Medicare Part B Premium Deducted from your SSDI check?"

Using A PASS to restore SSI Eligibility

If you set aside the amount shown in the text result to help prepare for and obtain a job, or start a business–and therefore become more self-supporting–and include those resources in an approved Plan for Achieving Self-Sufficiency (PASS), that amount will be excluded from your countable unearned income. This may permit you to regain your SSI eligibility while you prepare for a new or better occupational goal.

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