Hi everyone,

I'm 34 years old, and I've been on an SSI disability for mental illness since I was 16. I'm trying find a job. In the meantime, I'm still living with my mother.

Because I live with my mother, and because I told the SSA that I am not paying rent or paying for my own food, I receive about $230 less than I would if I were living independently.

My check is not big enough to pay my full share of household expenses, but I do use most of it to help out as much as possible.

I have been considering notifying the SSA that I am now paying rent to my mother and buying my own food. A few hundred dollars more per month would be very helpful. And I would be telling the truth, because I really would begin writing my mother a monthly check.

However, I'm afraid that the SSA might see this change as suspicious, and review my case. I feel nervous every time I get a letter from them.

So my question is, if I tell the SSA that I am now paying rent to my mother after all these years of living rent-free, how are they likely to respond?