Public Benefits Access

In the United States, people living with HIV may secure Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and other public benefits. Since HIV and its treatment can be debilitating, and because many of those affected are low-income, access to such benefits is essential for many people with HIV.

This HIV Policy Resource Bank category includes materials on topics such as meeting the Social Security Administration (SSA) definitions and conditions ("listings") of disability to quality for benefits, and how to handle SSA's reliance on reports of an applicant's/recipient's unresolved warrant to block benefits (the "fleeing felon" issue). Other materials address citizenship requirements, disability caused by medication side effects, benefits for prisoners, compassionate allowances for certain conditions, SSA medical reports, and residual functional capacity (RFC).