[Narrator] Supplemental Security Income and Work: a Griffin-Hammis production tailored
for Minnesota. Do you receive SSI? Have you ever wondered what would happen if you worked? Well,
I'm here to tell you there are three great things that can happen when you work. One,
you'll have more money. Two, you can stay connected to SSI. And three,
you can keep Medical Assistance. That's a great deal. It means that if you go to work,
you can get ahead and still keep the safety nets you need. There's a lot of confusion about
SSI and work. Let's get the facts straight. Fact number one: if you work, you'll have more money.
[Person] Really? How is that possible?
[Narrator] Let's say you land a job making $1500 a month.
[Person] Hey, that sounds great.
[Narrator] Can you guess how much your SSI would be?
[Person] I'm guessing it would be zero.
[Narrator] Actually, it's possible you could still receive some SSI. When determining your
benefit amount, Social Security reduces your SSI by around half of whatever your
wages are. If you started with $994 of SSI, it would likely reduce to $286. So,
you'd have $1500 of wages plus $286 of SSI, for a total of $1786 a month.
[Person] Wow, I thought I would have less money if I worked.
[Narrator] Not at all. By working and earning this
amount, you'll almost double your monthly income. Isn't that cool?
[Person] Yeah, that's great.
[Narrator] SSI fact number two: you can stay connected to SSI while you
work. Let's say you get a really great job making $3000 a month.
[Person] Cool.
[Narrator] When you earn this amount, your SSI would be $0,
but you'd still have $3000 in wages, so you'd be getting ahead.
[Person] Well, I like the idea of having $3000, but what if I lost my job?
[Narrator] That's exactly what this is about. If earnings make your SSI drop to zero,
you can still keep your SSI eligibility status. It's a safety net that keeps you connected to the
system. If you lose your job, just tell Social Security. They will quickly restart your SSI.
[Person] Wow. That's great.
[Narrator] Definitely. The name of this great safety net is 1619b. SSI fact number three:
you can keep Medical Assistance when you work. Many people with disabilities
rely on Medical Assistance for important services.
[Person] Yeah, I'm one of those people. I use
Medical Assistance to pay for doctor visits and medication.
[Narrator] Well, I've got great news. Because you
get SSI, there are ways you can keep Medical Assistance while you work.
[Person] Really? How does that work?
[Narrator] Well, if you continue getting some SSI while you work, you'll simply keep Medical
Assistance. In that scenario, your income is still low enough to qualify. And if you work
so much that your SSI is zero, you can still use the 1619b safety net to keep medical assistance.
[Person] That's fantastic.
[Narrator] To use 1619b, you need to follow all the SSI eligibility rules,
but in Minnesota, you can earn up $84,208 a year.
[Person] Wow, that's incredible.
[Narrator] So, the moral of the story is that by working, you can have more money, stay connected
to SSI, maintain your Medical Assistance, and have a better quality of life. With SSI,
it pays to work. There are ways you can learn more about all this at mn.db101.org. For example,
you can read the SSI and work article, or you can use the tool called the SSI Benefit Calculation to
see what happens when you earn different amounts. If you have a question about SSI and work,
you can start a live chat by clicking the chat link at the top or bottom of each page. And if
you'd like to talk to someone about your question, you can call the Disability Hub
MN at 1-866-333-2466. Knowledge is power. Take time to learn more about SSI and work.