Suspensions; general

(a) When suspension is proper. Suspension of benefit payments is required when a recipient is alive but no longer meets the requirements of eligibility under title XVI of the Act (see subpart B of this part) and termination in accordance with §§ 416.1331 through 416.1335 does not apply. (This subpart does not cover suspension of payments for administrative reasons, as, for example, when mail is returned as undeliverable by the Postal Service and the Administration does not have a valid mailing address for a recipient or when the representative payee dies and a search is underway for a substitute representative payee.)

(b) Effect of suspension. (1) When payments are correctly suspended due to the ineligibility of a recipient, payments shall not be resumed until the individual again meets all requirements for eligibility except the filing of a new application. Such recipient, upon requesting reinstatement, shall be required to submit such evidence as may be necessary (except evidence of age, disability, or blindness) to establish that he or she again meets all requirements for eligibility under this part. Payments to such recipient shall be reinstated effective with the first day such recipient meets all requirements for eligibility except the filing of a new application.

(2) A month of ineligibility for purposes of determining when to prorate the SSI benefit payment for a subsequent month, is a month for which the individual is ineligible for any Federal SSI benefit and any federally administered State supplementation.

(c) Actions which are not suspensions. Payments are not “suspended,” but the claim is disallowed, when it is found that:

(1) The claimant was notified in accordance with § 416.210(c) at or about the time he filed application and before he received payment of a benefit that he should file a claim for a payment of the type discussed in § 416.1330 and such claimant has failed, without good cause (see § 416.210(e)(2)), to take all appropriate steps within 30 days after receipt of such notice to file and prosecute an application for such payment;

(2) Upon initial application, payment of benefits was conditioned upon disposal of specified resources which exceeded the permitted amount and the claimant did not comply with the agreed-upon conditions;

(3) Payment was made to an individual faced with a financial emergency who was later found to have been not eligible for payment; or

(4) Payment was made to an individual presumed to be disabled and such disability is not established.

(d) Exception. Even though conditions described in paragraph (a) of this section apply because your impairment is no longer disabling or you are no longer blind under § 416.986(a)(1), (a)(2) or (b), we will not suspend your benefits for this reason if—

(1) You are participating in an appropriate program of vocational rehabilitation services, employment services, or other support services, as described in § 416.1338(c) and (d);

(2) You began participating in the program before the date your disability or blindness ended; and

(3) We have determined under § 416.1338(e) that your completion of the program, or your continuation in the program for a specified period of time, will increase the likelihood that you will not have to return to the disability or blindness benefit rolls.