Types of Disability

There are two government programs that pay a monthly benefit to disabled individuals:  Social Security Disability Insurance, also known as SSDI or Title II benefits, and Supplemental Security Income, also known as SSI or Title XVI benefits.

Social Security Disability Insurance is designed to compensate workers for the loss of their ability to earn an income due to complete disability which has lasted over 12 months or is expected to last over 12 months. To be eligible to apply for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits, a disabled worker must have worked in jobs covered by Social Security and paid Social Security taxes.  Generally, you are eligible to apply for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits if you have worked full time five out of the past ten years. Benefits are based on the disabled worker’s past earnings and are paid to the disabled worker and eligible dependent family members.

The simplest way to find out your potential disability benefit amount, is to create an account on www.ssa.gov/mystatement. After you log in to your account click, on the “estimated benefits” tab and you can see what your disability benefit would be currently if you were found disabled. You can also use Social Security’s benefit estimator at https://www.ssa.gov/OACT/quickcalc/index.html or call your local Social Security office.

Supplemental Social Security Income is a needs-based program.  You may be eligible for Supplemental Security Income if you have never worked or your work history is too remote to be eligible for Disability Insurance benefits. To be eligible to apply for Supplemental Security Income, a disabled individual must have limited resources:  if you are single, household resources must be under $2,000, and for married individuals, under $3,000. It is important to keep in mind, that if your spouse has regular income, Social Security may “deem” part of that income to you when it determines whether you meet the financial requirements for Supplemental Security Income.

For more information on what resources the Social Security Administration considers when determining eligibility for Supplemental Security Income please see https://www.ssa.gov/ssi/text-eligibility-ussi.htm.

The maximum amount payable under the Supplemental Security Income program varies from year to year. For the most up to date payment amounts please see https://www.ssa.gov/OACT/COLA/SSI.html. The amount of Supplemental Security Income per month that you will receive will be different depending on whether you are married, whether your state pays a state supplement that increases your payment, and whether you have any countable income that decreases your payment.

If you are receiving free food or shelter, Social Security will count it as “in-kind income,” and will reduce your monthly payment to account for it. However, food and shelter you receive as a government benefit or benefits received under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program does not count as in-kind income.