"I Was in Prison — Can I Still Get SSI?"

If you were receiving SSI benefits and are incarcerated, post-sentencing, in other words, after being sentenced to jail/prison time, you will not receive SSI benefits while serving your sentence, regardless of the duration.

If you are incarcerated for more than a year, you will need to reapply for your SSI benefits when you get out.  Those who are incarcerated for less than a year must notify SSA upon release and have ready proof of their release date.

For those who are accused of a crime and are held in jail pending trial, their benefits will be suspended during the time they are awaiting trial. 

No SSI benefits are paid back for any time you spend in jail, either waiting for a trial or post-sentencing.  

The same rule applies to those who are jailed and awaiting trial.  If you are held for more than a month, your benefits will be suspended. Once you are released, whether by bond, not guilty, or guilty but time served or no jail time, you need to immediately proceed to your field office with your jail release paperwork and have your benefits reinstated.  Time spent in jail, for whatever reason, that exceeds 12 months, requires a new application for benefits.  There is no guarantee that you will be found disabled again, just because you were disabled when you went to jail in the first place.  

In Michigan, the MDOC and SSA can collaborate through a pre-release agreement that initiates the SSD or SSI application process approximately 90 days before your scheduled release date. This must be arranged through the MDOC and is only available to individuals that the MDOC believes are eligible for benefits.