Both the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) programs provide financial benefits to disabled individuals, but they are not one in the same. The programs are so closely related and their acronyms are so similar that it’s easy to confuse them.
The SSI program and SSDI program are both overseen and operated by the Social Security Administration (SSA), and the medical eligibility of claimants is determined in the same way. However, the legal and financial eligibility requirements for SSI and SSDI benefits differ greatly. Understanding the differences between these two programs is crucial to ensuring that you are able to obtain the disability benefits to which you are entitled.
If you have a physical or mental disability that prevents you from working and you worked for a number of years and paid Social Security taxes, you may qualify for SSDI benefits. Eligibility for the SSDI program is based on a claimant’s work history, and the monthly benefit amount is based on a claimant’s Social Security earnings record.
The SSDI program is funded by the Social Security taxes paid by workers, their employers, and self-employed individuals. You must have paid Social Security taxes for a predetermined number of years in order to be eligible to receive SSDI benefits. Like Social Security retirement benefits, SSDI benefits can also be paid to a claimant’s children, widows or widowers, and adults who have not worked but have been disabled since childhood.
If you or a loved one has not paid enough into the Social Security system to qualify for SSDI benefits, you may still be able to receive SSI benefits. The SSI program is a need-based program funded by general tax revenues. The SSI program pays benefits to adults and children of any age who are disabled or blind. The monthly benefit amount is based on need. There is a maximum federal benefit rate, but the State of Ohio supplements federal SSI payments.
In order to be eligible for SSI benefits, you must have limited income and resources. This means that you must have less than $2,000 in assets ($3,000 for couples) and your income must fall below a certain limit. The SSA will evaluate your income level and review the resources available to you to determine whether you’re eligible for the SSI program.
If you think you might qualify for either the SSI or SSDI program or your claim for benefits has been denied, contact the Ohio Social Security disability attorneys at Jones Law Group to find out how we can help. We will be more than happy to answer all of your questions or help you file an appeal if your initial application was denied. No matter which benefits you’re applying for, Jones Law Group will provide you with excellent representation and help maximize your chances of winning your claim.
Call (614) 545-9998 or contact us online to get the assistance you need.
Social Security Benefits Increase in 2018
When the Social Security Administration announces the annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), there’s usually an increase in the Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefit amount people receive each month. Federal benefit rates increase when the cost of living rises, as measured by the Department of Labor’s Consumer Price Index (CPI-W). The CPI-W rises when […]
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Dr. Pud Baird, Ph.D
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