The law allows individuals to manage their funds and cannot be taken from individuals without consent. However, a person with a disability who lives in a long-term care facility will likely need to use the SS disability payments to cover living costs.
The type of facility a person lives in and the length of stay will determine how much SSDI a person can keep. If a patient resides in a facility where Medicaid pays for part of the cost, the benefit may be terminated or reduced. If the resident pays for a private facility, the state may supplement the payment.