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Disability

(SSA)

Benefit Types

Find out which Social Security benefits can help you based on your circumstances.

Retirement

Monthly payments based on your lifetime earnings. To be eligible, you must:

Be age 62 or older, and

Have worked and paid Social Security taxes for 10 years or more.

Disability

Monthly payments for people who have:

A disability or blindness, and

Enough work history.

Survivor

Monthly payments to certain family members of someone who worked and paid Social Security taxes before they died, including:

Spouses.

Ex-spouses.

Children.

Dependent parents.

Family

Monthly payments to certain family members of someone entitled to Retirement or Disability, including:

Spouses.

Ex-spouses.

Children.

Some grandchildren.

Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

Monthly payments to people who have:

Little or no income, and

Little or no resources, and

A disability, blindness, or are age 65 or older.

Medicare

Health insurance for people who:

Are age 65 or older, or

Have end-stage renal disease (ESRD), or

Get Disability benefits.

Who can get Disability

You may be eligible for Disability if you have:

A disability or blindness, and

Enough work history.

1. You have a disability or blindness

You must have a disability that affects your ability to work for a year or more, or will result in death.
If you continue to work, your condition must also limit you from earning income above an amount we call “substantial gainful activity” (SGA). In 2025, SGA is $1,620 per month, or $2,700.
2. You have enough work history

Generally, you must have worked for at least 5 of the last 10 years to qualify for Disability. People under the age of 24 may not need to have worked as long.
Extra benefits for family members

If you’re the spouse, ex-spouse, or child of someone getting Disability, you may qualify for Family Benefits.

What you could get from Disability

Disability benefits may include a monthly payment and Medicare health insurance.
We’ll automatically enroll you in Medicare 2 years after the date you became entitled to Disability.

You’ll get a welcome package in the mail 3 months before your coverage starts. You can opt out of Part B (medical insurance) if you don’t want it.

Special rules if you have ESRD or ALS

If you have end-stage renal disease (ESRD), you can get Medicare:

The month you begin at-home dialysis treatments.

The month you get a kidney transplant.

3 months after you start outpatient dialysis treatments.

If you have ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), you can get Medicare as soon as you become entitled to Disability.

See if you can increase your payment amount with SSI

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) provides monthly payments of up to $967 for people with limited income and resources. If you're eligible, you may be able to get Disability and SSI at the same time.
If you choose not to apply for SSI when you file for Disability, you’ll get a letter from us saying, "You're not eligible for SSI." This won't affect your Disability application.

SSDI and SSI benefits for people with disabilities

Learn how you may be eligible for benefits through Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) if you have a disability or are 65 or over.

Learn the difference between SSDI and SSI

SSDI is tied to your work history. It pays benefits to you and certain members of your family if you:

Have a disability and

Worked enough years to qualify and paid Social Security taxes during the years you worked

SSI does not require you to have a work history. It provides you with money to cover basics like food, clothing, and housing if you are 65 or older or have a disability.

Overview of the Disability Programs

They manage two programs that provide benefits based on disability or blindness. These are the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program.

Social Security Disability Insurance Program (SSDI)

SSDI provides benefits to people who have developed a disability or who are blind and who are “insured” by workers’ contributions to the Social Security trust fund. These contributions are based on your earnings (or those of your spouse or parents) as required by the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA). Title II of the Social Security Act authorizes SSDI benefits. Your dependents may also be eligible for benefits from your earnings record.

Supplemental Security Income Program (SSI)

The SSI program makes cash payments to people who are aged, blind, or have developed a disability (including children) and who have limited income and resources. The federal government funds SSI from general tax revenues. Many states pay a supplemental benefit to people in addition to the federal payments. Some of these states have arrangements to combine their supplemental payment with the federal SSI payment into 1 monthly check. Other states manage their own programs and make their payments separately. Title XVI of the Social Security Act authorizes SSI benefits.

NOTE: To get SSI, you must live in one of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, or the Northern Mariana Islands and be a U.S. citizen or national. People who live in American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands cannot receive SSI.

When You Receive Both SSDI and SSI

They use the term “concurrent” to describe people who are eligible for disability benefits under both the SSDI and SSI programs.

NOTE: The SSDI and SSI programs share many concepts and terms, however, there are also many important differences in the rules affecting eligibility and benefit payments. The following table summarizes differences between the SSDI and SSI programs. These differences are important as many people may apply or be eligible for benefits under both programs.

Comparison of the SSDI and SSI Disability Programs

	SSDI	SSI
Source of payments	Disability trust fund.	General tax revenues.
Minimum Initial Qualification Requirements NOTE: To get SSI, you must live in one of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, or the Northern Mariana Islands and be a U.S. citizen or national. People who live in American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands cannot receive SSI.	You must meet Social Security’s disability criteria. You must be “insured” based on contributions made to FICA for your own earnings, or those of your spouse or your parents.	You must meet Social Security’s disability criteria. You also must have limited income and resources.
Health Insurance Coverage Provided	Medicare entitlement begins after you have received SSDI for 24 months. This consists of hospital insurance (Part A), supplementary medical insurance (Part B), and Medicare Advantage (Part C). Voluntary prescription drug benefits (Part D) are also included. Title XVIII of the Social Security Act authorizes Medicare.	Medicaid. A jointly funded, federal-state health insurance program for people with limited income and resources. It covers certain children, and some or all the aged, blind, and people with disabilities in a state who are eligible to receive federally assisted income maintenance payments. Title XIX of the Social Security Act authorizes Medicaid. The law gives the states options regarding eligibility and types of services under Medicaid.
How do they figure your monthly payment amount?	They base your SSDI monthly amount on the worker’s lifetime average earnings covered by Social Security. They may reduce the amount of your benefit payment if you receive Workers’ Compensation payments (including Black Lung payments) and/or public disability benefits, for example, certain state and civil service disability benefits. Other income or resources do not affect your payment amount. They usually adjust the monthly payment amount each year to account for cost-of-living changes. They can also pay SSDI monthly benefits to dependents on your record, such as minor children.	To calculate your payment amount, they start with the Federal Benefit Rate (FBR). They subtract your countable income from the FBR and then add your state supplement, if any. They do not count all the income that you have. The income amount left after they make all the allowable deductions is “countable income”. They usually adjust the FBR each year to account for cost-of-living changes.
Is a State Supplemental Payment provided?	There is no state supplemental payment with the SSDI program.	Many states pay some people who receive SSI an additional amount called a “state supplement”. The amounts and qualifications for these state supplements vary from state to state.

Can you get SSI and SSDI benefits together?

Depending on your eligibility, you may be able to collect SSDI and SSI benefits at the same time. This is known as receiving “concurrent” benefits. When you are ready, you can apply for both benefits together. After you apply, the Social Security Administration will tell you if you qualify for one or both programs.

Find out if you are eligible for SSDI and apply

Your eligibility for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is based on your age, disability, and how long you worked. To find out if you are eligible for SSDI, use the Social Security benefits questionnaire.

Your spouse or former spouse and your children may be eligible for benefits when you start getting SSDI. Learn about family benefits and see if your family members may qualify.

You have options to apply online, by phone, or in person.

Apply for SSDI

Call 800-772-1213

Call TTY 800-325-0778 if you're deaf or hard of hearing.

If your application is approved, you will have a five-month waiting period for benefits to start.

Learn how you can appeal if your SSDI application is denied.

Find out if you are eligible for SSI and apply

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is for people who have little to no income.

You must also either:

Apply for SSI

Have a disability, or

Be 65 or older

Get help with SSDI and SSI benefits

You can create a free “my Social Security” account to manage your benefits online and:

Check on your application status

Update your name, address, and other information

Set up or change your direct deposit information to receive your benefits

Get tax documents to report income from SSDI benefits (SSI benefits are not taxable.)

Get a benefits verification letter to show what benefits you receive

If you have specific questions:

Contact the Social Security Administration.

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Copyright © 2000 - 2025 K. Kerr

Most recent revision June 30, 2025 08:08:44 PM

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