Rights & Benefits Information
New Online Tool to Get Started Applying For SSI Individuals have a new way to let SSA know they want to apply
June 15th
for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) using an online tool that was just released by the Social Security Administration. Applicants and individuals assisting applicants can now use this online tool to request an appointment to apply
Social Security to Offer Self-Attestation of Sex Marker in Social Security Number Records Kilolo Kijakazi, Acting Commissioner of Social Security, announced that the agency will offer people the choice to self-select their sex on their Social Security number (SSN) record. The agency anticipates this option will be available in the fall of 2022. “The Social Security Administration is committed to reducing barriers and ensuring the fair treatment of the LGBTQ+ community by updating our procedures for Social Security number records,” said Acting Commissioner Kijakazi. “This policy change will allow people to self- select their sex in our records without needing to provide documentation of their sex designation.” People who update their sex marker in Social Security’s records will need to apply for a replacement SSN card. They will still need to show a current document to prove their identity, but they will no longer need to provide medical or legal documentation of their sex designation once the policy change becomes effective. SSN cards do not include sex markers. In February 2022, the agency issued guidance instructing employees to accept evidence documents that contain non-binary identifiers (e.g., “X”) for original SSN and replacement SSN card applications, and other updates to the agency’s internal SSN records. The agency is exploring possible future policy and systems updates to support an “X” sex designation for the SSN card application process.
for SSI benefits. The request establishes a protective filing date that will be used as the application date, so long as the individual submits an SSI application within 60 days. Establishing a protective filing date is important because the protective filing date is used to determine when an individual can start receiving SSI benefits. An individual only needs to provide basic information to make the online request. After the individual submits the request, the Social Security Administration will schedule an appointment to apply for benefits by phone and send notification of the appointment within 7-14 business days. An individual can also indicate a "priority life circumstance," such as homelessness, a terminal illness, or recent release from incarceration, that will prompt an SSA employee to attempt to contact the applicant by phone within three business days, to apply for SSI at that time or schedule an appointment to apply. More detailed policy guidance about the online tool can be found in EM-22015 (https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/
reference.nsf/lnx/03182022081215AM) Source: National Center on Law & Elder Rights (NCLER)
Page 8 | May 2022, Never Too Late
Pima Council on Aging
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