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Is Social Security Disability The Same As Ssi

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Social Security Disability Services

SSDI and SSI at the Same Time: is it Possible?

Maybe youre eligible for Social Security Disability Insurance because youve paid into the system through years or even decades of hard work, one paycheck at a time.

Or maybe you have a disability or medical condition that entitles you to these benefits as part of the Supplemental Security Income program.

In either case, getting access to those benefits isnt as easy as it should be.

The process required can be long, confusing, and is governed by a list of rules and regulations that are difficult to navigate. It often takes a couple of years before you or your family members can receive the benefits to which youre entitled.

Which is why it helps to have somebody with experience like Dax Lonetto on your side.

Benefits For Dependent Children

Children of Social Security disability insurance recipients are also eligible for dependents benefits, but there are a few stipulations. The maximum family benefit, along with other specifications play a role in how much is allocated to the child, the spouse, or other family members. ;

If the child is unmarried and they are younger than 18, they are 18-19 years old, or they are enrolled as a full-time student in high school, they can qualify for SSDI benefits from their parents. Additionally, if they are 18 years of age or older and they have a recognized disability that started before the age of 22, they are also eligible to receive dependents benefits. ;

If the parent is disabled or retired and they are receiving Social Security disability benefits, their child can receive benefits under their name. Likewise, if the childs parent dies and they have paid Social Security taxes, then benefits can be obtained by the surviving child under these circumstances as well.

The United States Social Security Administration has a limit on the amount of money that can be allotted to a spouse and family, which is known as a maximum family benefit. A child can collect up to 50% of their parents disability or full retirement benefits. Also, up to 75% of their departed parents social security benefit can be afforded to the surviving child, but there are limitations concerning whether a spouse or other relatives are present, which relates to the maximum family benefit that is provided. ;

Qualifying For Social Security Disability Insurance

First, lets consider eligibility requirements for SSDI. The person must meet the definition of disability established by the Social Security Administration . This includes that the condition has lasted or is expected to last at least 12 months , the individual is unable to perform previous work, and is unable to adjust to other types of work.

The mental or physical condition must be severe enough and be found in the SSA Listing of Impairments. Finally, the individual must have worked long enough and recently enough to have earned an adequate number of work credits.

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Social Security Benefits Vs Ssi Benefits

The Supplemental Security Income program can help make ends meet but, as you can see, qualifying beneficiaries may need to identify other programs to add extra stretch to the monthly budget. If youre considering SSI and believe you meet the needs-based standards, ask about the SNAP! Program if you dont already receive food stamps.

Many states also offer supplemental income programs . If you qualify, its possible to receive state supplemental income and SSI. A short list of states dont offer state supplemental income programs to residents. If you dont live in Arizona, West Virginia, Arkansas, Texas, Oregon, Mississippi, and Tennessee , its challenging to determine the amount of SSI income you may qualify for. Your living situation may also affect how much money you receive in SSI benefits.

Contact Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 to discuss your SSI application questions or make an appointment with the SSA office nearest you. If you already receive Social Security benefits, including Social Security disability, its possible to qualify for SSI in some situations.

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What Are Social Security Retirement Benefits

There are many differences between the Social Security ...

Over 70% of the people receiving Social Security benefits are receiving retirement benefits. The retirement benefit is only available for those who are at least 62 years of age. Eligibility for retirement benefits requires that the recipient has earned at least 40 work credits, with four credits available for each year worked. In 2015, the method of calculating eligibility for work credits changed, assigning one work credit for every $1,220 in earnings as opposed to the amount of time worked.

Social Security retirement benefits can be affected by your age, when you begin to draw benefits, and the average of your 35 highest-earning working years. Theres also a cap on how much can be received as a retirement benefit. Partial benefits can be paid at age 62, with full benefits available at age 65 to 67, depending on your birth year. In most cases, retirees benefit most from waiting until they can receive a full benefit at age 70 because the amount of the benefit increases by up to 8% each year between age 62 and age 70. However, there can be exceptions to this rule and households with retirees who retire at different times should research their options carefully. The difference can mean tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars in Social Security benefits that you may or may not receive as a household, depending on your choice.

Workers who become disabled later in life may also have the option of filing for disability benefits as opposed to retirement benefits.

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The Differences Between State And Social Security Disability

While both programs provide compensation when a person becomes disabled and cannot work, different levels of government administer them. Social Security disability comes from the federal government and receives its funding from federal payroll taxes. State disability, as its name indicates, operates at the state level and only in certain states.

States that offer disability programs do so on a short-term basis. This makes them an ideal stopgap measure for people who are not disabled long enough to qualify for Social Security disability, which requires you to have a medical condition that lasts or is expected to last 12 months or longer. Most state programs provide benefits for only a few months.

How Do I Apply For Widow Or Widower Benefits

You should notify the Social Security Administration as soon as possible when your spouse who received disability benefits has died.

You cant apply for survivors benefits online. Youll need to call and speak to a representative or visit your local Social Security office.

Youll need to fill it out the proper forms and provide supporting documents like these:

  • Birth certificate
  • Proof of U.S. citizenship or legal resident status
  • Tax forms
  • Medical records confirming your own disability status
  • Documents of any workers compensation benefits you receive

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Dependents And Social Security

One key difference between the two programs is how dependents are treated. Dependents may be eligible to collect Social Security after monthly benefits begin. Family members can receive a combined total equaling 150 to 180 percent of your Social Security benefit after you die. Child eligibility extends to age 18 unless the child is a student, in which case benefits continue until he graduates, or becomes disabled before age 22. Ex-spouses also may qualify two years after the divorce, provided the marriage lasted 10 years and they are at least 62.

What Is The Difference Between Social Security Disability And Ssi

Am I eligible to receive SSDI benefits and SSI at the same time?

How are they different?how SSD and SSI are alike and differentTo qualify for disability benefitsthere is no difference between the two programsmaximum SSI monthly benefitSSI recipients receive medicaidSSD recipients receive medicare benefitsThe criteria that allows you to file for Social Security DisabilityWhat kind of cases win disability benefits?to be eligible for Social Security DisabilityThe criteria that allows you to file for SSI Disabilitydisability applicationrequirements of SSIMore differences between Social Security Disability and SSIfile for disabilitySocial Security Disability requires a five month waiting periodSocial Security Disability, SSI, and Health InsuranceMost popular topics on SSDRC.com

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Social Security Disability Benefits

The Social Security Administration administers the Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income programs. These;programs;have the same definition of disability but have different eligibility requirements.

Social Security Disability ;

Social Security Disability ;is a Federal insurance program designed to help people with disabilities who are no longer able to work because of one or more severe;medical conditions. Disabled workers are eligible to apply for SSDI if they have worked long enough and earned sufficient wages over the past 10 years. ;To be fully insured for purposes of eligibility, a workers Social Security account must be credited with at least 20 quarters of earnings in the past 10 years, or 40 quarters. ;

Supplemental Security Income ;is the SSAs financial needs-based program for disabled individuals with income and assets below a certain level.

A person is disabled according to SSA if they have a severe medical impairment or combination of impairments lasting or expected to last 12 months or more. ;During that year, your condition must prevent you from working and earning what is considered substantial and gainful income. ;While many of our clients are over age 50, injury or illness can impact a person at any stage of their life.

If you have earned sufficient work credits for SSDI or meet the financial need-based criteria for SSI benefits, you may qualify for benefits any time prior to full retirement . ;

Don’t Use Social Security Disability As Unemployment Benefits It Could Come Back To Haunt You

If you can help from filing for both Social Security disability and unemployment benefits at the same time, try to do so.

In fact, pick one or the other.

On one hand, you are saying to the Social Security Administration that due to your impairments, there are no jobs within the national economy you are capable of performing.

On the other hand, you are also telling the Texas Workforce Commission that you are ready, willing, and able to work.

Hopefully, you can see the dichotomy.

There is a split in SSA on unemployment benefits. About 1/2 believe that you are lying to either SSA or TWC when you file for disability benefits and unemployment at the same time. In their minds, how are they supposed to believe you when you state to SSA you are unable to work? I have been in many hearings where the judge directly asks the claimant why he or she filed for disability and at the same time filed for unemployment benefits.

The 1/2 are more understanding. They realize that if there is absolutely no income coming into the home, they you could possibly be on the street. So, out of necessity a person files for both.

The only problem is that you never know who you’re going to get for a judge if you have to go to a hearing. If you did file for disability and unemployment, it sometimes makes it that much harder to win your case. Not always, but sometimes it does.

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A Few Basics About Survivor Benefits

There are a few other specifications and things to note about your eligibility for receiving survivor benefits that arent necessarily related to the surviving spouses age. For example, neither the deceased spouse nor the surviving spouse needs to work for more than ten years in order to be eligible. However, the SSA does have a special rule that if youve worked for only one and a half years in the past three years just before your spouses death, the SSA can pay benefits to your children and to you if you are caring for the children.

Even though your deceased spouse was working and paying into Social Security, your survivor benefits will likely be reduced if you are working. This is also dependent on whether your earnings exceed a certain limit and if you are younger than the full retirement age.

If you have remarried and are over sixty years old , you should still be eligible for receiving survivor benefits. However, if you choose to remarry and are under sixty years old, then you are ineligible to collect survivor benefits.

How Is Ssi Amount Determined

Social Security Disability Lawyers In Blue Bell PA

The SSI Payment Formula

The Social Security Administration, known as SSA, figures your federal SSI benefit by deducting your countable unearned income and your countable earned income from the maximum Federal Benefit Amount of $783 for individuals and $1,175 for a couple. The remainder is your Federal Amount Payable.

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Can You Be Eligible For Ssi And Ssdi

Yes, you can eligible for both programs at once. If your income and assets are low enough and you have the necessary work history, you could potentially qualify for benefits from both programs. Theres even a name for applying for both SSI and SSDI at the same time: The Social Security Administration calls it making a concurrent claim.

There is one tricky thing about receiving both benefits. Any money you receive from SSDI will count toward the income limit for SSI. So, if you receive too much from SSDI, that may disqualify you from SSI benefits.

A Note About Spousal Benefits

According to the SSA, spousal and family benefits for those receiving SSDI payments are capped at 50% of your benefits per individual and about 180% for an entire family. These spousal and family benefits are available in specific situations that may not apply to you. The spousal benefit will not increase to the full amount of your retirement benefit when you reach full retirement age or when your spouse does.

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How Many People Currently Receive Social Security Disability Benefits And What Is The Value Of The Benefits They Receive

About 8.8 million workers with disabilities currently receive Disability Insurance. The amount of Disability Insurance benefits that a disabled worker receives is based on his or her earnings before becoming disabled. As Table 1 shows, Disability Insurance benefits typically replace less than half of a disabled workers previous earnings.

As of March 2013, the average monthly benefit for a disabled worker was about $1,129, with male workers receiving $1,255 per month and female workers receiving $993 per month on average. About 1.9 million children of disabled workers and 160,000 spouses of disabled workers also receive supplemental benefits from Social Securityroughly $300 a month on average.

For most beneficiaries of Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security, disability benefits make up most or all of their income. For the vast majority of Disability Insurance beneficiariesabout 71 percenthalf or more of their income comes from Disability Insurance. And for nearly half of beneficiaries, 90 percent or more of their income comes from Disability Insurance. Given the modest extent to which benefits replace lost earnings and the limited sources of other income upon which they can depend, people who receive Disability Insurance are rarely able to maintain the same standard of living they had before becoming disabled. Disability Insurance provides a floor, however, that moderates the decline in their living standards.

When Does Disability Pay More Than Social Security

Prepare for Trick Questions from the Social Security Judge

Your PIA is the amount youd receive if you were to qualify for disability benefits. Its not that simple with Social Security benefits, however. While youre technically eligible to begin taking Social Security benefits at age 62, you wont receive your PIA until your;full retirement age , which will fall somewhere between 66 and 67. At 62, your benefit amount would be only 70% of your PIA, increasing gradually until you reach your FRA.

This means that between 62 and your FRA, your; disability benefit would be higher. And theres an additional benefit to taking disability: By electing for disability instead of Social Security, you allow your Social Security benefit to continue growing.

This disparity is even greater if you happen to become disabled after you turn, say, 63. The reason here is that your Social Security benefits will be determined by your PIA for the year you turn 62, while your disability benefits would be calculated with your PIA for the next year. Provided your AIME is the same or higher, then your PIA for the later year will be higher.

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Ss Vs Ssi Vs Ssdi: What Are The Differences

Social Security , Supplemental Security Income , and Social Security Disability Benefits are three federal benefit programs that can provide income to Americans who arenât able to work. SS, SSI, and SDI are all are managed by the Social Security Administration.

Each of these programs, however, have different purposes and eligibility requirements. Thankfully, under the CARES Act legislation, most recipients of benefits from each of these three programs areeligible for coronavirus stimulus checks. However, it did lead to a lot of confusion about the programs and what they do.

But how exactly do these programs work? And how do they play into your tax bill? In this article, weâll look at each one and their impact on your paycheck.

Contents

  • 4 Final Thoughts
  • What Do You Need To Apply For Survivors Benefits

    If you were already receiving spousal benefits before the death, you will not need to submit an application. Instead, the SSA will automatically convert your package to your spouses. If thats not the case, complete this form, and gather these documents:

    • Proof of the death
    • Birth certificate or other proof of birth
    • Proof of U.S. citizenship or lawful alien status if you were not born in the United States
    • U.S. military discharge papers if you had military service before 1968
    • For disability benefits, the two forms that describe your medical condition and authorize disclosure of information to the SSA
    • W-2 forms and/or self-employment tax returns for the preceding year
    • Final divorce decree, if applying as a surviving divorced spouse
    • Your checkbook to arrange direct deposit

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