Hello Lopsided,
As I write this, I realized that I failed to check that you are in fact from the US. Assuming you are, there are many programs that permit some income. For instance I receive Medicaid, yet still work 3 days per week. as long as I do not acquire more than 2000 per month in assets I can continue to qualify for Medicaid. In the past I have also collected unemployment while working parttime. I know that for SSI, as long as you don't make more than what is considered SGA "Substantial Gainful Employment", you can qualify for SSI. SGA is something like $830 per month. You can go to
www.ssa.gov. SSI is for those who have not worked enough to qualify for SSDI. The rule may be different for SSDI. Again
www.ssa.gov will provide info.
If you provide me with more information, I may be able to answer more of your questions. I would not mind attempting to help you, as I am a law student. I would need a bit more basic info, like what state you live in, whether you worked enough in the past to qualify for SSDI, and more information on your current state of health (b/c the definition of disability under the law is sometimes different than what a doctors identifies as a disability). I would love to try to help you.
Please feel free to contact me privately if you wish.
And of course, i must state, that I am not qualified and not intending to offer any legal advice, as I am merely a student. However, my experiences with public benefits work may help me identify resources that you may be able to tap into.
Take care,
Shannon