Do You Automatically Qualify for Medicaid with Disability Benefits?
When medical conditions rule out working, and you don’t have much to live on, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) disability benefits provide monthly checks to help you afford many of your essential needs.
You also need health care. Can you get access to health services with SSI disability benefits?
Yes. With SSI, you qualify for Medicaid to cover your doctors and treatments.
Just like SSI, Medicaid is a form of assistance for people with limited income, savings, or other financial means.
Having both kinds of benefits gives you a foundation for more stability and peace.
But getting SSI is a long, tough process. A skilled disability lawyer can make it easier for you. And you don’t pay an attorney fee until you win benefits.
In Michigan and Ohio, talk to the disability attorneys at Levine Benjamin Law Firm, the top firm in Michigan by the amount of benefits we win for our clients.
From applying to appealing, we help you every step of the way.
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Financial Requirements to Get SSI & Medicaid
The financial requirements for Medicaid are based on how your income compares to what the government considers to be the “official” poverty line.
They say an adult can get Medicaid if your income is under 133% of the federal poverty level. The number of people in your household determines what the poverty level is for you.
For SSI, the Social Security Administration (SSA) sets the amounts you can earn and have in savings and still get disability benefits because you can’t work due to health problems. The numbers often adjust a little higher each year:
- You must have low income. In 2024, Social Security said the most you could generally earn and still get SSI benefits was $1,971 per month.
- You must own little of value. Social Security says you can’t have more than $2,000 in savings, investments or possessions like a second vehicle and still get SSI. Couples can own $3,000 in assets and still qualify. Some things you might own, like your primary home, don’t count toward the limits.
Even if the income level you need to qualify for SSI is a little different from the income you need to get Medicaid, Medicaid accepts you if you have a qualifying disability.
Being approved for SSI confirms your disability and financial need.
So do you automatically qualify for Medicaid with disability benefits? If you qualify for SSI disability benefits, you do. Once you win SSI, you can start getting health care services through Medicaid right away.
If you have questions about how the SSI and Medicaid rules apply to you, you can talk to the experienced Social Security Disability lawyers at Levine Benjamin Law firm for an evaluation of your case for free.
How Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) Gets You into Medicare
You may also wonder about Medicare and disability benefits.
Medicare isn’t based on your economic situation like Medicaid. Most of the time, it’s for retired people who earned the health coverage by paying into it throughout their working years.
But there’s a pre-retirement exception for getting Medicare: if you qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits.
SSDI also covers people who worked and paid into it long enough to get benefits. Receiving SSDI gives you access to Medicare before retirement age. It’s a different set of circumstances from SSI and Medicaid.
These are some important things to know about Social Security Disability and Medicare:
- You must wait two years from your original date of disability before Medicare starts, but time you waited as you applied for benefits counts.
- You can choose from different Medicare health plans of a type called Medicare Advantage.
- The Medicare Advantage shopping process can be complicated, but you can get help with it.
In addition to being a disability law firm that helps people get their Social Security Disability benefits, Levine Benjamin has Medicare advisers who can help you through the process of picking the right Medicare Advantage plan.
Get on a better path both for your bank account and your health care by getting in touch with the Levine Benjamin disability attorneys in Detroit, Flint, Lansing, Grand Rapids, Toledo and anywhere else in Michigan and Ohio.
Once you have the right resources in place, you can worry less and live a fuller life.