Difference Between SSDI and SSI

disabled woman with her husband

If you’re wondering what the difference is between SSDI and SSI and whether someone can qualify for both, you’re not alone. The programs are similar in some ways, different in others, and often quite confusing. That’s why The Terry Law Firm has provided this helpful overview of these important systems.

SSDI and SSI are federal government benefits programs managed by the Social Security Administration (SSA), and both programs are designed to help people who cannot work. However, the eligibility requirements for each program are different.

What Is SSDI?

SSDI is an acronym for Social Security Disability Insurance. It is a benefits program managed by the SSA. This program can help you if you have paid into the system but have since developed a disability that makes it impossible for you to work. Eligibility for SSDI is not means-tested. You can qualify for SSDI regardless of your financial situation.

What Is SSI?

SSI stands for Supplemental Security Income. It, too, is a benefits program administered by the SSA. This program is for blind or disabled children and people who are disabled, blind, or age 65 or older. Unlike SSDI, it is not necessary to have worked and paid into the system to claim SSI benefits. However, SSI is means-tested, so individuals may not qualify based on their financial situation.

Eligibility Requirements for SSDI and SSI

If you have previously worked and paid into the Social Security system and become disabled and unable to perform your current job or any other work for at least 12 months, you may be eligible to receive SSDI benefits. You will know if you paid into Social Security if either of these statements is true:

  • You had Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) taxes withheld from your paycheck.
  • You were self-employed and paid taxes under the Self-Employment Contributions Act (SECA).

To qualify for SSDI benefits, you must have worked for a certain number of years and be younger than 65. The number of years you worked is converted into credits for each calendar quarter you worked. The number of work credits you need depends on your age.

The SSI program is for people who are disabled, regardless of age, and in special financial need, regardless if they were ever able to earn a paycheck. The program is funded entirely by general federal tax revenues such as personal income tax, corporate income tax, and other taxes.

To qualify to receive SSI benefits, you must be at least one of the following:

  • Blind
  • Disabled
  • Age 65 or older
  • Diagnosed with a medical condition that prevents you from working and is expected to last at least one year or is likely to end in death.

SSI vs. SSDI Benefits

Both SSDI and SSI are benefits paid monthly to individuals found to be disabled by the SSA. Which benefit you draw is determined by your work history and how many work credits you have. To draw SSDI benefits, you must have at least 20 work credits, which roughly equates to working 5 of the last 10 years.

If you do not have enough work credits to be eligible for SSDI, you might qualify for SSI. However, there are more restrictions attached to this type of benefit. Because it is a need-based benefit, you cannot have more than the monthly countable income or assets determined by the SSA. You cannot have more than one property or more than $2,000 in resources, or $3,000 for a couple.

Once you have been approved to receive benefits, SSI payments begin within about one month. SSDI payments have a six-month waiting period.

If approved, the monthly amount you would draw on SSDI will be based on your individual earnings history. The monthly amount you would draw on SSI is determined by the SSA based on income. For 2023, the average monthly SSI payment is $914 for one person and $1,371 for a couple. The maximum monthly SSDI payment is $1,483.

If you receive SSI in Tennessee, you automatically qualify for health care benefits under TennCare Medicaid. For SSDI, there is a 24-month waiting period to receive TennCare Medicaid.

Can I Collect Both SSDI and SSI?

Yes, you can collect both SSDI and SSI, which is called receiving concurrent benefits. However, you must meet the requirements for each program. You would not need to apply to each program separately, as the SSA will determine your eligibility for both.

How Do I Apply for SSDI or SSI?

In one sense, applying for both SSDI and SSI is pretty straightforward, as both use the same application system. However, the application requires several steps, many forms, and considerable patience.

You can expect to fill out three or four different multi-page forms providing information about your:

  • Identity, citizenship, birth, and residency
  • Marital status
  • Education
  • Medical conditions, including details about hospitals, physicians, and clinics
  • Treatment for your medical conditions
  • Employment history for the past 15 years, including job titles, descriptions of the work you did, and the places of employment
  • Activity level
  • Finances

These forms start the application process. Once the SSA reviews all these forms, it may ask you to complete additional documents. If you fail to respond to the phone calls or letters from the SSA by the deadlines requested, your application can be denied.

How Can a Lawyer Help with My SSDI or SSI Claim?

Approximately 63 percent of SSDI and SSI applications are denied initially, and it can take up to two years to complete the appeals process, according to the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. There are many reasons for denials, both medical and non-medical. At The Terry Law Firm, we can help you complete your application, correctly fill out the paperwork, and verify that all the necessary medical and financial information is in place. That will help expedite SSA’s processing of your form and, hopefully, allow you to receive your payments sooner.

If you’ve already filed an application for SSDI or SSI and your application was denied, you may only have 60 days to file an appeal for reconsideration. If you miss this deadline, you will have to begin the process from the start. For some applicants, it might be better to re-apply. Our Tennessee SSD lawyers can advise you on the best course of action in your situation.

If you think you might be eligible to receive both SSDI and SSI, we can also help you with the financial calculations needed to demonstrate that you meet the work requirements for SSDI and the income eligibility requirements for SSI.

Contact Our Experienced Tennessee Social Security Disability Lawyers Today

Social Security disability benefits can provide a critical lifeline for individuals who cannot work. Unfortunately, the system is cumbersome and overburdened, leaving many valid applicants without the money they’re entitled to. The SSD attorneys at The Terry Law Firm want to help you get all you deserve.

We have over 60 years of experience helping people in Tennessee. Our firm is committed to helping you overcome any issues that might arise in your SSDI or SSI claim. We will fight every step of the way for the full disability compensation benefits you need.

Contact us online or call (423) 403-3595 today for a free initial SSDI or SSI case review.

Social Security Disability

Am I eligible for Social Security Disability benefits?

Social Security will pay you benefits if you cannot work because you have a medical condition that is expected to last at least one year or result in your death. This description is the federal government’s definition for disability and will be used to determine whether your situation qualifies you for disability benefits. The definition limits the disability payments to long-term only and does not give money to people with partial disability or short-term disability. Primarily, if you have paid enough in Social Security taxes – at least half of the working quarters since you turned 21 years of age – you are eligible to file a claim for Social Security Disability if you become disabled.

To get disability benefits, in addition to meeting the disabled definition, you must also meet two different earnings criteria:

  1. A “recent work” test based on your age at the time you became disabled; and
  2. A “duration of work” test to show that you worked long enough under Social Security.

Who decides if my disability entitles me to SSDI?

The Social Security office will review your application to determine whether you worked enough years to qualify and to assess the level of your current work activities. If you meet these criteria, your application will be passed on to the Disability Determination Services office in your state which completes the disability decision for the Social Security office.

The state agency will ask your doctors and specialists for information about your condition and will consider all the facts in your case. They will use the medical evidence from your doctors and hospitals, clinics or institutions where you have been treated and all other information.

Specifically, they will ask the medical team for the following information:

  • What your medical condition is
  • When your medical condition began
  • How your medical condition limits your activities
  • What the medical tests have shown
  • What treatment you have received

In addition to the above, they also will ask the doctors for information about your ability to do work-related activities, such as walking, sitting, lifting, carrying and remembering instructions. Your doctors are not asked to decide if you are disabled. Additional medical information may be needed before a final decision can be made. It is possible that the state agency will ask you to go for a special examination. Although the preference is to use your current doctor, the exam may be conducted by another qualified physician.

How long will my application process take?

According to the Social Security Administration the length of time it takes to receive a decision on your disability claim can take from three to five months.

It can vary depending on several factors, but primarily on:

  • The nature of your disability;
  • How quickly medical evidence is obtained from your doctor or other medical source;
  • Whether it is necessary to send you for a medical examination in order to obtain evidence to support your claim; and
  • If your claim is randomly selected for quality assurance review of the decision.

Is there an alternative to the full application process?

Yes. The Social Security Disability Insurance has an initiative called Compassionate Allowances (CAL). This is a process whereby the Social Security office can provide benefits quickly to applicants whose medical conditions are so serious that their conditions obviously meet disability standards. There are 88 qualifying rare diseases and cancers on the list. Compassionate allowances allow the office to quickly identify diseases and other medical conditions that qualify under the Listing of Impairments, based on minimal objective medical information. Compassionate allowances allow Social Security to quickly target the most obviously disabled individuals and get their benefits to them.

Is my family eligible to receive benefits?

It is possible that certain members of your family qualify for benefits based on your condition and your previous work.

Those family members include:

  • Your spouse, if he or she is 62 or older
  • Your spouse, at any age if he or she is caring for a child of yours who is younger than age 16 or disabled
  • Your unmarried child, including an adopted child, or, in some cases, a stepchild or grandchild. The child must be under age 18 or under age 19 if in elementary or secondary school full time
  • Your unmarried child, age 18 or older, if he or she has a disability that started before age 22. (The child’s disability also must meet the definition of disability for adults.)
  • Your divorced spouse may qualify for benefits based on your earnings if he or she was married to you for at least 10 years, is not currently married and is at least age 62. The money paid to a divorced spouse does not reduce your benefit or any benefits due to your current spouse or children.