I receive Supplemental Security Income due to Severe Panic/Anxiety Disorder and Depression, I am enrolling in College full to half time, with this effect my monthly benefits? Does it need to be reported? Would it matter if i lived on or off campus? Thanks..
The following user gives a hug of support to wvguy86: BlueSkies14 (04-09-2012)
I am starting to think it all depends on who reviews your case. I know someone who is disabled, she was so depressed sitting him, she decided to go to college and gets financial aid for it. She sits in class three days a week. How she gets away with this, I have no idea. I would speak to a lawyer before you do anything.
The simple answer is yes, you should be able to attend school and receive benefits @ the same time in most cases but there is a caveat.
If classes, labs, homework and studying take up around 30 to 40 hours per week going to school may be viewed by Social Security as close enough to what is required in the workplace to suggest that the individual is capable to engaging in a SGA (aka working). IOW, if you can put in 40 hours a week at something which is as hard as work, Social Security may think you can work. And, if you can work, your case may be denied.
If you have severe anxiety and panic, or other mental health conditions, how will you manage with the social requirements of going to school? The SSA might ask you this and you need to have an adequate answer. Is your long-term goal to get off SSI and go back to work after you finish college? SS really likes seeing ppl trying to improve, get off SSI or SSDI and move on with their lives. Depending on your age and your medical condition, this might be a real possibility for some ppl but for most of us here, we need to remain on SSDI due to the chronic nature of our medical conditions. Good luck with school if you decide to go.
The Following User Says Thank You to BlueSkies14 For This Useful Post: MOnsterpete (04-09-2012)
If you have severe anxiety and panic, or other mental health conditions, how will you manage with the social requirements of going to school? The SSA might ask you this and you need to have an adequate answer. Is your long-term goal to get off SSI and go back to work after you finish college? SS really likes seeing ppl trying to improve, get off SSI or SSDI and move on with their lives. Depending on your age and your medical condition, this might be a real possibility for some ppl but for most of us here, we need to remain on SSDI due to the chronic nature of our medical conditions. Good luck with school if you decide to go.
You are right blue if you are on ssi for mental issues like panic and anxiety and go to school full / part the ssa might say well if you can handle being around people at school than you can handle being around people at a job. Remember you filed for ssi because of mental issues, o if you can handle school you can handle a job. You can't have it both ways.
The Following User Says Thank You to vann04 For This Useful Post: BlueSkies14 (04-09-2012)
Yep, right or wrong, I think they may view things like what Vann said. Personally if I was only on SSI and young, I would go for it. (school I mean). Max SSDI / SS retirement is only about $2300 or a little more i think. Even this amount (tax free) is very hard to live on in today's economy if that is all you have. Most of us will also have a certain amount of OOP medical costs even with medicare in addition to all the other expenses of daily living. I just don't see how some ppl can make it on SSI alone but remarkably, many ppl are able to do it.
Yep, right or wrong, I think they may view things like what Vann said. Personally if I was only on SSI and young, I would go for it. (school I mean). Max SSDI / SS retirement is only about $2300 or a little more i think. Even this amount (tax free) is very hard to live on in today's economy if that is all you have. Most of us will also have a certain amount of OOP medical costs even with medicare in addition to all the other expenses of daily living. I just don't see how some ppl can make it on SSI alone but remarkably, many ppl are able to do it.
If I was young I would go for it also ,but if you are worried about loosing your bennifits that's a choise you have to make. Like I said you can't have it both ways.
If I were you, I would speak with someone at the SSI office, and if you introduce it to them as your desire for school to re-enter the working world, and the possibility of you coming off claim eventually, you MIGHT get both!! Working in LTD claims we encouraged education as an ultimate goal to return to work so we offered vocational rehab, and settlements to claimants so they could go back to school. I understand that SSI is different, but if it would eventually get someone off claim it would benefit them to let you get your schooling now. Good luck, and keep us posted! I would be curious as to what they would say!
Last edited by NElady; 04-09-2012 at 10:22 PM.
The Following User Says Thank You to NElady For This Useful Post: BlueSkies14 (04-10-2012)
SSI Question... 
