It seems like someone should have sent a letter or told you why you were denied the other times...

I was wondering about the pension plan also , that might be one of the sticking points..

Are you sure you fit all the criteria for SSI?

[To get SSI, your countable resources must not be worth more than $2,000 for an individual, or $3,000 for a couple. However, you may be able to get conditional payments if you agree to sell some of your countable resourcesresources.]

but-
[If you give away a resource or sell it for less than it is worth in order to reduce your resources below the SSI resource limit, you may be ineligible for SSI for up to 36 months.]

http://www.ssa.gov/ssi/text-eligibility-ussi.htm