Eligibility and Application

Eligibility

To set up a Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS), you must:

• Get Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits or become eligible for SSI benefits as a result of an approved PASS application. Learn more about how setting up a PASS can help you qualify for SSI if you don't already.
• Have a source of income other than SSI, like Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits or wages from a job, or have resources over $2,000 that you can use to fund your PASS.
• Choose a work goal that will help you earn enough money to lower your SSI benefits or get off SSDI benefits altogether.
• Write a plan that shows how saving a certain amount of money will let you reach your work goal. A Social Security PASS specialist can help you write your plan.
• Be under age 65. If you are 65 or older, you may be able to set up a PASS if you were getting SSI benefits based on disability or blindness in the month before your 65^th birthday.

Remember, if you already go to college or have a job, you can still set up a PASS to help pay for your current work, school, or health expenses. You will need to show how your current expenses are helping you achieve your future work goal.

Important: PASS is not an entitlement. Even if you meet the eligibility requirements, Social Security might not approve your PASS.

Application

On the PASS application form, you must describe your work goal and how you plan to achieve it. This description should be detailed enough to convince Social Security that:

• You have a clear plan
• The plan is realistic, and
• If you complete the plan, your need for SSI benefits will go down or you won't need SSDI at all.

If you do not yet have a clear goal or way to achieve it, try working on one with an organization that helps people find and prepare for jobs, such as:

• The Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency (GVRA)
• Blind and Low Vision Field Services
• Deaf, Deaf-Blind, and Hard of Hearing Services
  
• A WorkSource Georgia Center, or
• An Employment Network (EN) through the Ticket to Work program.

You can also start by reading DB101's article Finding the Right Job for You and DB101's article about other programs that support work.

Work Goals

The first question on the PASS application asks about the work goal that your PASS will help you achieve. Your goal could be a variety of things:

• Getting a new job
• Getting a new, higher paying position at your current job
• Working more hours
• Working with less support, if you are in a supported employment position
• Starting your own business

You can only have one work goal per PASS plan, and your work goal must be clear and specific. If it’s not, your PASS probably won't be approved. For example, "getting a teaching credential" is probably not specific enough to be approved as a PASS goal. But "getting a teaching credential to teach high school science" probably is. "Working from home" is not specific, but "starting my own paper-shredding business in my home" is.

Self-Support

Social Security will review your plan and decide if your work goal will allow you to become self-supporting. Specifically, you need to show that:

• If you currently get SSI benefits, reaching your goal will significantly lower or end your SSI benefts
• If you currently get SSDI benefits, reaching your goal will cause your earnings to stay above the Substantial Gainful Activity level ($1,620 per month in 2025), which will eventually stop your SSDI benefits
• Your projected earnings after you complete your PASS will be enough for you to pay for your own living expenses, medical expenses, and work-related expenses, and
• If you are applying for a self-employment PASS, you have a detailed business plan. Learn more about self-employment PASS plans.

Your Plan Must Be Feasible and Viable

When Social Security reviews your PASS plan, they will decide if the plan is both feasible and viable.

Your PASS plan is feasible if you can realistically complete the steps in your plan and reach your work goal. Social Security will look at your education and job history, your age, and your disability and any related limitations to decide if your plan is feasible. For example, if you have trouble sitting for long periods of time, becoming a taxi driver would probably not be a feasible work goal for you.

Your PASS plan is viable if you will have enough money to pay for your PASS expenses and your living expenses. Social Security will make sure that you can pay for your necessary PASS expenses with the money you plan to put into your PASS account. They will also make sure that your other income, including your SSI benfits, can cover your basic living expenses.

If Social Security decides that your plan is not feasible or viable, they won't approve it. However, Social Security may allow you to make changes and submit it again.

Timeline

The PASS application asks for a timeline of the steps (milestones) you will need to take to achieve your work goal. You need to figure out how much each step will cost and set aside enough money in your PASS to pay for it.

PASS rules do not have a specific time limit for the PASS plan. A PASS specialist will figure out the length of your PASS based on your personal needs and situation. Most of the time, your PASS will be for less than four years.

Expenses

You need to figure out what all of your work-related expenses will be and then calculate how much you will spend on each item over the length of your PASS. The cost of each of your expenses must be reasonable. Remember that Social Security may let you make changes to your PASS plan in the future, if you need to.

It is important to know that:

• You have to pay for the expenses in your PASS plan out of your own pocket. If someone else pays for an expense, it cannot be included as a PASS expense, and
• For expenses like a car or computer, you will have to explain why you need a particular model and why your current product (if you own one) is not good enough.

Self-Employment PASS Plans

A PASS plan is not just for employees who are paid a wage or a salary. It can be a great planning tool if you are self-employed or want to start your own business. Here are some things to keep in mind:

• Usually, you can only use a PASS to pay for start-up costs through the first 18 months of your business, but you may get more time if you need it.
• You must submit a complete business plan with your PASS application form.

For help with a business plan, you can talk to someone from:

• SCORE, a nonprofit association that offers education and mentorship to help small businesses get off the ground
• The Small Business Administration (SBA), a federal agency that provides counseling and resources for small businesses
• Synergies Work, an Atlanta-based nonprofit organization
  
• The Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at the University of Georgia
• The Georgia Micro Enterprise Network (GMEN), a nonprofit association in Georgia
  
• The Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC), an SBA program, if you are a veteran

These agencies often offer free classes on writing business plans. They might also be able to review your plan.

You might also get help from a vocational rehabilitation counselor, a business planner, your local chamber of commerce or bank, and local departments of employment and training.

Read more in DB101's article Starting A Small Business.

Note: You should complete your business plan and financial planning before you begin your PASS application. This will make it a lot easier to answer PASS application questions.

Once You Complete Your Application

Once you have filled out your application, there are several things to do:

• Before you submit your completed application to Social Security, make a copy of it for your records.
• Submit your application by hand or mail it to your local Social Security office or PASS specialist office (the Georgia PASS office is in Birmingham, Alabama). Be sure to include all supporting documentation (for example, your business plan; information about expenses; and letters of support from your vocational rehabilitation counselor, advocate, therapist, or physician).

After you submit your PASS application, a PASS specialist will review your application. If your application is complete and you’ve supplied all necessary documentation, a PASS specialist will let you know as soon as possible if your plan has been approved.

If you not are not currently on SSI benefits and your PASS is otherwise approved, Social Security will ask you to apply for SSI before they officially approve your PASS.

If your application is incomplete, or if there are other problems with it, a PASS specialist will contact you to try and fix those problems.

If your application is denied and you disagree with the decision, you should ask for a meeting with your PASS specialist. Find out why your PASS application was denied and the rules behind the decision.

If you still disagree with the decision after your meeting, you can submit a written request for reconsideration, asking that another PASS specialist look at your case again.

If you need help writing your request for reconsideration, contact an advocate at the Georgia Advocacy Office (GAO).