Supplemental Security Income (
SSI) benefits decrease if you have income. This means that when you have a job or are getting an
SSDI benefit, you receive less SSI. You then have to spend your income on basic living expenses, so it can be hard to save money. This makes it difficult to have funds available to pay for school, training, and transportation costs if you are trying to get a job.
Social Security has a program called PASS (Plan for Achieving Self Support) that can help if you are in this situation. When you have a PASS, you set a goal of getting a specific job that pays enough money to replace your SSI and SSDI benefits. You also list all of the expenses you will have while working towards your goal. For example, if your work goal is becoming a teacher, some of your expenses might include things like graduate school, transportation to an internship, and fees for a licensing exam. If you have a PASS, income that you set aside to pay for these expenses will not cause your SSI benefits to go down. This means that your SSI benefit will pay for your basic living expenses while you set aside money towards achieving your work goal.
. Technology © 2002-07 Eightfold Way Consultants