Chemical Dependency Treatment and SSI

Purpose:

This section describes the chemical dependency treatment services available to Social Security Supplemental Security Income (SSI) beneficiaries.

Clarifying Information

  1. The Social Security Administration (SSA) suspends benefits when an SSI beneficiary is placed in a "public institution" for more than 30 days.  SSA terminates benefits when a beneficiary resides in an institution for more than 12 months.
  2. DBHR contracted residential treatment facilities are not considered “public institutions.”

Worker Responsibilities

When an SSI beneficiary is placed in a DBHR contracted residential chemical dependency treatment facility, see Chemical Dependency Treatment and Food Assistance to determine effect on eligibility.  The client's SSI income is considered in determining eligibility for Food Assistance.