Understanding the Two Programs
Whether you are seeking SSD benefits or SSI benefits, the claims process required to obtain those benefits is essentially the same. The analysis the Social Security Administration (SSA) uses to decide if you're "disabled" or not is the same too.
So how do these two governmental programs differ? The basic difference is that the SSD program (also known as SSDI) is based on a person's work history, and SSI is based on need. At Midwest Disability, we can evaluate your eligibility for either the SSD or SSI program and help you obtain the benefits you're entitled to under the law.
What are some of the other key differences between SSD and SSI?
- Eligibility: To be eligible for SSD, you must meet the SSA's definition of "disabled" and you must have earned enough work credits. You also have to be "disabled" to collect SSI but you cannot have more than $2,000 dollars in assets ($3,000 for married couples).
- Medical Benefits: If you have a sufficient work history to qualify for the SSD program, you will qualify for Medicare benefits two years (plus the five-month waiting period) from the date the SSA determined your disability began. If you are eligible to receive SSI instead, you will have immediate medical coverage through your state's Medicaid program.
- Financial Benefits: The amount of your monthly SSD benefit will be based on what you earned and paid into the system (but there is a maximum monthly benefit that changes yearly). The maximum monthly benefit provided by SSI is about $700 per month, per person (this figure is adjusted yearly).
- Earning Income: You can earn up to $1,000 per month and still collect SSD. You can work while collecting SSI too but the income you earn from that may reduce your monthly benefit.
- Family Members: Spouses and dependent children may be eligible for SSD benefits based on your work history. In the SSI program, spouses and dependents must satisfy the eligibility requirements on their own.
Experienced, successful attorneys who care — Midwest Disability works for you.
As lawyers, we are focused solely on disability claims, and on providing a full range of effective legal services — from preparing initial applications, to protecting our clients' interests in administrative hearings, and to handling appeals at every level of the federal court system, including before the United States Supreme Court.
Contact us online or call our offices directly at 888-351-0427 for a free case evaluation ] and consultation. All cases are taken on contingency, meaning there are no fees unless and until we recover benefits.
Office Locations:
Minneapolis, Minnesota — Kansas City, Missouri — Chicago, Illinois
