Financial Assistance for Disabled Adults

The Aid to Needy and Disabled (AND) program provides a small cash assistance benefit to low-income Colorado residents age 18 to 59 who have at least a six-month disability that precludes them from working. The Aid to the Blind (AB) program provides a small cash assistance benefit to low-income residents who meet the Social Security Administration’s definition of blindness.

• AND/AB applicants must apply for Supplement Social Security Income (SSI) benefits. However, the AND applicant does not need to be found eligible for SSI in order to receive AND benefits.
• The goal of these programs is to provide interim financial assistance while waiting for SSI approval.
• Other income, such as wages or Veteran’s Assistance, may reduce the amount of the AND/AB payment.
• There are no medical benefits provided by the AND/AB program.
• When the primary diagnosis is alcoholism or drug abuse, the AND recipient is limited to 12 cumulative months in a lifetime, must agree to and participate in treatment, must submit to random testing and will lose AND benefits if he/she tests positive for alcohol or drugs two times in any three-month period.

To qualify for AND/AB benefits you must:

• Be aged between 18-59 years.
• Have been or expect to be totally disabled for 6 months or more.
• Have gross income below the current monthly benefit. Income is anything which can be used to purchase food, clothing, or shelter. Some examples include wages, social security, pensions, child support, and unemployment benefits. In-kind earned income for rent/utilities counts as income. Your spouse’s income may affect your eligibility.
• Have resources below $2,000 for an individual, $3,000 for a couple. Resources are any money that remains unspent from a prior month. Some examples include cash, checking and savings accounts, stocks, bonds, some insurance policies and secondary property.
• Cooperate with alcohol or controlled substance programs and remain substance-free if your disability’s primary diagnosis is drug or alcohol addiction.
• Be a U.S. citizen or eligible alien
• Be a resident of Colorado

The SSI Supplement assists persons who do not receive the full amount of SSI. It does not provide financial help for people who have had their SSI income lowered because they were overpaid.

• This program has no age requirement.
• The asset limit is $2,000 for a single individual and $3,000 for a couple.
• Maximum income for 2013 is $710.00 monthly.
• Financial responsibility of relatives is reviewed when deciding if someone qualifies. This happens when the parent or spouse is not on Medicaid and/or getting financial help from Human Services.