text: how will a personal injury settlement effect my ssi benifits?   your personal injury settlement can affect your ssi benefit (and medicaid liens) in very significant ways.  before the settlement is finalized, you and your personal injury attorney must speak to an elder law attorney to learn how to protect the money from the government.  there are many options open to you but the moment you receive a cash settlement made directly to you, those options will shrink drastically.  get an elderlaw attorney as soon as possible.