The guidelines governing these plans include setting a feasible employment goal, submitting a plan, demonstrating how you will cover living and educational expenses, and agreeing to work after completing your degree.
You will need to find a Social Security-approved a vocational rehabilitation counselor (VR). A VR will help you to negotiate the paperwork and evaluate the guidelines as they affect your situation. A VR will help you with both Ticket to Work (TTW) and the Plan for Achieving Self Support (PASS) form (SSA-545-BK), which must be completed and submitted to your local Social Security Administration office. The SSA website says, "SSA usually approves plans prepared by VR". Your local SSA office should be able to give you names of approved VRs.
Entering the PASS and TTW programs involves some trade-offs. You will have to agree that part of the money you now collect will be set aside to pay for some of your college expenses. You must be prepared to meet your living expenses with your remaining income, after taking out the set-aside money. But don't panic: Your VR counselor will help you to figure out how to do this using SSI, SSDI, VESID (Office of Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities) and any other resources you have.
Also, the idea is to get a job when you finish college, so that's what you will have to do, which means you will no longer collect SSI. However, if your condition worsens and you can't work, you can get it back.
You will have to decide on and state an employment goal. The goal cannot be "to get an education" or "to finish college." The goal must be professional or vocational employment, such as "to work as a certified public accountant." It may be a goal for part-time or full-time work. You and your VR can change a full-time work goal to a part-time work goal if that becomes necessary.
Neighborhood Legal Services says that if you currently receive SSDI but not SSI, you will submit an application for SSI along with your PASS proposal.
Here is how everything is likely to work out: VESID will pay some education or education-related expenses, the SSI money will be set aside for whatever VESID does not cover, and you will live on SSDI and any other resources you have.