Ssi & Children Turning 18 - Rural Institute - The University Of Montana: Fill & Download for Free

This is a trick question….or rather a complicated one. A person need not be a citizen to receive Social Security benefits. The amount of a Social Security benefit is always based on the amount of Social Security taxes paid by a wage earner . A wage earner’s spouse / widow, child under age 18 , a disabled child or dependent parent can receive benefits on his/ her account (with restrictions ). A dependent parent can receive a Social Security benefit if the deceased wage earner contributed more than 50% to the parent’s support. If you have questions regarding Social Security benefits check the SSA website . The entitlement requirements for Social Security benefits are numerous and complex.Social Security also administérs the SSI (Supplemental Security Income) program . SSI is not a Social Security benefit. This is a needs based (welfare) program for disabled adults and children and those over age 65. A ‘qualified alien’ can receive SSI . Please go to the SSA website for the definition of a qualified alien. It is a complex determination.

I have a friend. Let’s call him “Carl.”Carl used to be a firefighter. He pulled people out of burning buildings. He risked his life all the time.Then one day, an illness that had been lurking in his genes brought him to the ground. His tendons and muscles were slowly calcifying—turning to stone. All of them. His knees. His back.His heart. His lungs.And since this was a genetic disease, it was not covered by his firefighting pension plan. He had to go on SSI/SSDI.The drugs that he took to slow (not stop, slow) the progression of his disease eventually gave him fourteen more incurable conditions, including heart disease, seizures, and diabetes. He’s had several strokes. He also cannot go outside because his immune system has to be suppressed. Going out around people always means he catches something.So what does he do all day?It takes him about three hours to get up, get cleaned up, and get dressed and get his breakfast, using his walker because his ankles are now frozen solid. It takes him two hours to do a single load of laundry. He does spend most of the day playing video games and watching TV, but that is because it takes him at least an hour to get to the bathroom, and there is no way he could actually work.This man was a fireman. He saved people from burning buildings. Now he lives like a pauper, mostly on the charity of his family and friends because SSI/SSDI is not enough to allow him to do anything but die under a bridge.He saved people from burning buildings. He’d have saved you, if you’d needed it.

“..Why isn't the social security number/card used as voters identification in the US? As I understand, everybody has one, so what stops America from using it?”Because you can have a SSI number and not be a citizen.You can have a SSI number and not have the right to vote. (Under-age, Convicted Felons, etc..)And my SSI card says right on the back that the card is not an acceptable form of Identification.There are more reasons, I’m sure, but those three are pretty much enough to answer your question.