Oklahomans who meet the basic requirements to be approved for Supplemental Security Income might find themselves unable to get the benefits for other reasons. Simply being blind, disabled, 65 or older is not enough to be approved when applying for SSI benefits. The Social Security Administration must also assess the person’s resources. If there are excess resources, this can prevent a person from getting benefits when they would otherwise have been approved. To address this and other SSI-related issues, it can often help to have experienced legal advice.
Fortunately for those who have excess resources, there is the option to sell enough to reach the threshold to get SSI benefits. For individuals, there is a $2,000 limit on their resources. Couples are limited to $3,000. If some of the countable resources are to be sold, the person might be eligible to get conditional payments until then. People can sell a variety of properties including a home they are not living in and personal property like vehicles that have not been excluded.
The applicant, once approved in all other aspects, can get SSI for as much as nine months if he or she is trying to sell real property. If it is personal property, it is as much as three months. Certain conditions allow the SSA pay the person for longer. The applicant must sign an agreement that he or she will sell the property. The SSA must accept it. It must be shown that the person is showing diligence in the attempt to sell the property. Once the property has been sold, the person might be obligated to return some or all the SSI he or she received while trying to sell the items. The SSI benefits might continue after the sale, depending on the situation.
There are many cases when a person is seeking SSI benefits and the claim is delayed or denied for reasons that have nothing to do with age, disability or income. Since SSI is a need-based program, it is important to understand the requirements and what can be done to meet them. For help, calling a law firm that handles SSI Supplemental Security Income and eligibility questions can be beneficial.