Question about SSI

[wednesday2004]

Those of you who get SSI, what is the average amount that the average person receives? I have an autistic son and receive very little in child support (ex hides money, judge buys his poor man act). I got a letter the other day saying my son was approved for a little over $300 dollars a month. That combined with the child support puts us at a little over $600 a month to live on. Are they flipping serious or am I being $crewed again by yet another system. If that amount is correct what are my other options. Please don't mention job, this guy is a full time job, and the only people that said they'd watch him I wouldn't leave a hamster with let alone a special needs kid. That and there really aren't any jobs here. The courts don't care. My ex has the biggest victim act going on right now and it's all an act encouraged by his latest woman to get sympathy and whatever else he wants from her right now. The court that the custody battle continues in is full of good old boy judges and ex knows how to play them.
I feel like I'm being screwed by the universe right now.

[RiverTam]

Originally Posted by wednesday2004

Those of you who get SSI, what is the average amount that the average person receives? I have an autistic son and receive very little in child support (ex hides money, judge buys his poor man act). I got a letter the other day saying my son was approved for a little over $300 dollars a month. That combined with the child support puts us at a little over $600 a month to live on. Are they flipping serious or am I being $crewed again by yet another system. If that amount is correct what are my other options. Please don't mention job, this guy is a full time job, and the only people that said they'd watch him I wouldn't leave a hamster with let alone a special needs kid. That and there really aren't any jobs here. The courts don't care. My ex has the biggest victim act going on right now and it's all an act encouraged by his latest woman to get sympathy and whatever else he wants from her right now. The court that the custody battle continues in is full of good old boy judges and ex knows how to play them.
I feel like I'm being screwed by the universe right now.

There's no "average." Payments from SSI/SSDI are based on the income of the wage-earner who paid in. If the income of the wage-earner who paid in was low, then the payments from SSI/SSDI will be low.

SSI/SSDI is a federally funded benefit. In my state, additional help is available from the state public health system. You might want to check on state benefits.

You might also want to check on TANF (welfare) benefits in addition to your SSI benefits. You may be eligible to draw TANF in addition to SSI, and their benefits are more comprehensive and are based on need, rather than what was paid in.

[buckeye_bebe]

The maximum this year is 674 a month. So if you receive 300 from husband, the maximum SSI would be 374 a month. If you lose the 300 a month from husband, SSI may recalculate for you up to 674 a month.

[KatWrangler]

DD1 gets about $674 a month. But again, its based on income.

[logan&jordansmommy]

Here is how ours is calculated
wages minus living allowance for ineligible children (this will vary depending...I believe it is $674.00 for 2 ineligible children) minus $20.00 (they don't count $20.00 of the avove income) minus $65.00 divided by 2 minus 1,011.00 (living allowance for parents). Once you get this number you subtract it from $674.00 (674 is the most SSI allows to pay).

Our months vary because my husband is on commission but one of our months looked like this

3461.55 (monthly wages) minus $674.00 = $2787.55
2787.55 minus 20.00 = 2767.55 minus 65.00= 2702.55/2 d= $1351.27 minus $1,011.00 = 340.27

674.00 - 340.27 = $353.73 total SSI for the month

[muldey]

Ds gets $574 a month.They are counting the fact that I get reduced rent so he doesn't get the full amount.They asked my dad (the landlord)what the apartment I'm living in would cost FIXED UP.They didn't go by the shape it's in. This is our only income(along with $504 in food stamps) as we've used our 48 months of TANF.Dd and I could qualify for a hardship for TANF,but that requires I go to work immedialty and I have my own SSI case pending,so I cannot work right now.They don't care what your drs say,you HAVE to do some sort of work.If I could work I wouldn't need TANF.When I was getting child support it didn't affect how much ds got from SSI.Actually because we were on TANF I only got $50 a month for dd,but the full amount ex was paying for ds because he wasn't on TANF.They knew I was getting the child support so I don't know why it didn't change his amount.

[7callmemom]

My guy gets the maximum amount, $674...and my dh makes decent money. I don't understand how yours could be so low if that $300 child support is your only income. That stinks. Hope they somehow reconsider.

[~cassie~]

My son gets 674$ most months, only when it is a 3paycheck month does he get 300. And my husband makes ok money for our area-about 1600 a mth, so I don't see how/why it would be so low. I didn't think SSI mattered how much you paid into social security, I thought it was SSDI that only took that into account, but I could be wrong.

[logan&jordansmommy]

I was thinking about this. Did you apply in the middle of the month so they are only giving you half the month the first month? Have they sent you the papers that show how they figured the ssi?

[wednesday2004]

Yes, they sent me the papers already telling me that. That's why I am so mad. It seems every agency I've dealt with thinks that we should live on air and water. Everyone. I've already tapped out all the relatives and I still have to deal with a whiney ex who's complaining I don't bring my 3 year old 2000 miles to see him (on my tab, of course) because it's inconvenient for him to come here not to mention too expensive. The guy makes easily 100,000 a year and pays 300 a month. The courts think that's fair and I've been chewed out by them because of that. This whole thing is just getting to be too unreal. Do any people in any position of power have any concept of reality anymore....or maybe they never have, but still.

[KatWrangler]

Appeal it.