Can you get SSI or disability and TANF?

Question

I am asking for my sister. She has an autoimmune disorder that is really kicking her butt and the doc wont put her on any meds until her body completly burns out her thyroid. So in the meantime it is really hard for her to function at work and school and at home.

She was thinking of getting on SSI or disabilit but it wouldnt be enough for her bills. Can she also get cash aid and food stamps for her daughter if she is on SSI or disability? Which would she get? Also, does it really take like 6 months to get on SSI? If she gets her daughter on TANF (cash aid) would they make her only able to collect TANf and not SSI or disability? SSI and disability are 2 diff things right?

What would you suggest for her?

Answer 1

usually SSI is based on how much other income she has coming in so if she got TANF (which would be about $175 depending on her state), they would take that from her SSI check.. so she's not going to make anymore getting both than she would with 1 (unless the rules have recently changed).. If she qualifies for SSI, she will qualify for soc. sec. disabilty too.. Whole different program.. Minimum she can make on SSDI and SSI I think is $667 a month .. so she will at least have that coming in. She will be able to get food stamps.  TANF would be 2 year LIFETIME maximum anyway so I don't know that she would want to go that route. It will take her, several months to years to get her disability SSDI/SSI case approved (most cases take 2-4 years). She has to be approved for disability before she's approved for SSI.. They will turn her down at least 3-4 times before she's approved.. If she chooses to fight for that..she needs to hire an attorney from day 1 so he can do all the paperwork, etc.. It's a LONG, complicated process.. It took me 4 years.. If she works after applying for disability it will close her case...It's really complicated to explain.. She needs to talk to a lawyer that specializes in disability and let them explain it all. Laws change every year and I could be wrong on some things but I do know that you cannot just apply for SSI like you do food stamps.. You MUST be getting disability thru soc. sec. /SSDI to qualify for SSI.

Answer 2

It looks like that would be a decision the Dr. would have to make and if he putt's her on meds and decides she is not a candidate for SSI then that is it.If she can get it SSI then she propably can get some kind of assistance from welfare for her Daughter but that depends on how much SSI she would receive.