There are two government programs available to assist disabled people in making up for their inability to work in order to earn a living: Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Although both of these programs are overseen by the Social Security Administration (SSA) and they both determine medical eligibility for their benefits in the same way, they are two completely separate programs with some very important differences. One of the biggest differences between these two Social Security disability benefits programs is that SSDI is available to workers, and their families, who have paid to become insured by Social Security through taxes (FICA) on their paychecks, and SSI is available to disabled individuals with low-income who may have never worked or didn’t work enough to earn SSDI. You’ll find more about these two programs detailed below:
Social Security Disability Insurance
In order to receive SSDI benefits you have to of recently worked a certain number of years and earned a minimum amount of “work credits.” You can earn 1 work credit per quarter, so 4 credits can be acquired annually. The amount of work credits required to qualify you for benefits depends on the age you became disabled. You have to be at least 18 years old to receive SSDI benefits, but in some cases a parent’s earnings record can be transferred to their child or the disabled person’s spouse (and other dependents) can also be eligible to receive partial auxiliary benefits. After receiving SSDI benefits for a minimum of two years, you’ll be able to receive Medicare.
Social Security disability benefits aren’t easy to acquire, and most claimants are initially denied. You have to be able to prove you are “totally disabled” and unable to earn “substantial gainful activity” (SGA is a monthly amount which changes from year to year) through any facet of work for at least 1 year. Once you’ve finally been granted benefits there is a five-month waiting period, starting from when you first became disabled, for payments to begin.
Supplemental Security Income
Unlike SSDI which is funded by payroll taxes put into a Social Security trust, SSI is funded by general public taxes. SSI is a “needs-based” program, which means you must have a very limited income and own less than $2,000 ($3,000 if you’re married) in total assets. Regardless of age, there are adult and child benefits available to any household with a low enough combined total income. The amount you’re granted depends on where you live, total income of the household, and the federal benefit rate (FBR is the maximum payment allowed for the program) for that year. Those who receive SSI benefits usually qualify for food stamps as well, and after a certain amount of time they gain access to Medicaid.
Submitting claims for Social Security disability benefits is a time-consuming and challenging ordeal. Initial denial rates are staggeringly high, ranging from 60-70%. You can appeal the disability claim examiners’ rejections and request a hearing in front of an administrative law judge (ALJ). This will be your best opportunity to present your case and overturn the decision. Hiring a professional and experienced disability attorney, like the ones found at website , to represent you would greatly increase your chances of being granted benefits. You can visit their Facebook page for more.
