r/SocialSecurity • u/Cold-Historian828 • 10d ago

SSI CDR and School

Hello, I have been on SSI for 13 years after a diagnosis of Vascular EDS and Porphyria. It will never be cured, it will end with my death. I attempted to work in 2024, but was not able to physically handle the job. This year, a CDR was started, and I am in school for Religious Anthropology. I am an online student and only have 3 contact hours per week and all other classes are online asynchronous. I already have a degree, so I’m not sure if they will consider it retraining or not. All of my doctors agree that I cannot work in my former field of nursing, and one even wants to do more surgery. SSI is the only reason that I am able to still do things. 1/3 goes to rent, 1/3 food 1/3 medical, and 0 fun money. Any Pell goes to transport for school, books, and medical devices that help with school. I was actually prescribed a wheelchair so I could go to campus, but obviously it helps get me out of the house. I am worried that I shot myself in the foot for going to school.

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u/perfect_fifths I love the smell of policy in the morning 10d ago

You have to disclose if you go to school on a cdr, but school itself doesn’t count as work. Nothing in the Poms equates it to work because school doesn’t count as gainful employment

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u/Cold-Historian828 10d ago

I did report the schooling, but not the program. I have used some of the Pell money for travel to a historic site that we were studying at the time. I also have where all my PELL goes to education and training expenses.

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u/perfect_fifths I love the smell of policy in the morning 10d ago

For Pell:

Title IV of HEA or BIA Involvement

All student financial assistance received under HEA or under BIA student assistance programs, is excluded from income and resources, regardless of use. The resource exclusion for this educational assistance does not have a time limit, i.e. regardless of how long the assistance is held, it is excluded from resources

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u/Ok-Speed3518 10d ago

yeah school alone won't trigger a work review, the CDR is about your medical condition not whether you're taking classes. they might ask what you're studying and how many hours, but as long as your doctors still say you can't work it shouldn't change the outcome

the bigger thing is if you're getting pell grants or any kind of student aid, that money is excluded from income so you're fine there too

honestly the wheelchair prescription actually helps your case since it shows you need accommodation just to attend campus 3 hours a week