[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 #1: If you work, you'll have more money.
[Person] Really?
How is that possible?
[Narrator] Let's say you land a job making $1300 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.
In this example, if you started with $943 of SSI, that amount would likely be reduced
to $335.
You'd have $1300 of wages, plus $335 of SSI.
That's a total of $1635 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 #2: You can stay connected to SSI while you work.
Let's say you get a great job making $2500 a month.
[Person] Cool.
[Narrator] If you earned this amount, your SSI would be $0.
However, you would still have $2500 in wages, so you would be getting ahead.
[Person] I like the idea of earning $2500, but what happens if I lose 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 #3: You can keep Medical Assistance when you work.
Many people with disabilities rely on Medical Assistance for important services.
[Person] Yes, I'm one of those people.
I use Medical Assistance to pay for doctor visits and medications.
[Narrator] Well, I've got great news.
Because you receive SSI, there are ways you can keep Medical Assistance when you work.
[Person] Really?
How does that work?
[Narrator] Well, if you continue to receive 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 1619, you need to follow all the SSI eligibility rules, but in Minnesota,
you can earn up to $74,611 in 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 call the Disability Hub
MN at 1-866-333-2466.
Knowledge is power.
Take time to learn more about SSI and work.