Social Security Disability Benefits
There are two different types of Social Security disability benefits: Social Security disability insurance and Supplemental Security income.
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) as the name suggests is a payroll tax-funded federal insurance program of the government managed by the Social Security Administration. Eligibility is based on work history and the benefit amount is based on earnings. The benefit generally increases as the amount that you have paid into the insurance increases. In other words, if you put $20,000 into Social Security you will most likely receive more money if you are found disabled than someone who put in $10,000. A claimant qualifies for SSDI if they have a medical condition preventing them from engaging in substantial gainful activity and it is expected to last for at least 12 months.
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) by contrast is a needs based program of the government administered by the Social Security Administration. To qualify, you may be 65 or older, blind, or disabled. You must have income within certain limits and have applied for the benefits. In 2008, the limited benefit amount was $637 per month and in 2009 that number increased to $674 per month.
While it is very rare for a person to receive benefits under both SSDI and SSI, it is in fact possible to achieve. The way it typically happens is the SSDI the claimant receives is less than the amount he or she could have received under SSI and SSI is used to increase that amount to $674. To give you an example, say I make application for a claimant and he or she wins $450 a month under SSDI. If that same claimant also applied for SSI and won benefits under it, SSI would increase the monthly total by $224 to give that person a total of $674 a month.
Determining which program to apply for can be difficult. If you need help determining whether to apply for SSDI, SSI or both please fill out our no obligation free consultation form.
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