Can I Collect SSI & Disability at the Same Time?

A great part of the taxes you are required to pay to the government as an American citizen are used to fund different public programs that help people in need. Most of these programs focus on helping people with low income or diseases who do not have the resources to pay for medical treatment. Two of these programs are the Social Security Disability program and the Supplemental Security Income program.

SSD Identification

• The Social Security Disability program, abbreviated as SSD, is a program of benefits for people with a condition of full disability. By "disability" the Social Security Administration means any condition that makes you unable to work and that is considered long-term. A disability must be expected to last at least one year in order to be long-term. A short-term disability that is expected to cause death is also considered a full disability. Only individuals whose disability meets these conditions are eligible to receive benefits from the SSD program.

SSI Identification

• The Supplemental Security Income program, commonly known by SSI, is another program run by the Social Security Administration. This program also gives benefits to people with disabilities as well as those age 65 or older. However, you must also have low income to qualify for benefits, but unlike the SSD program, you are not required to have a long-term disability condition. To select who is eligible to receive benefits, the Social Security office analyzes the amount of income a person earns per year and the resources a person has. The SSI is only a supplement to monthly income and not a substitute of this. For this reason, you can have a job while receiving benefits.

SSI and SSD

• If you are receiving SSD benefits, you might also be able to qualify to receive SSI benefits. You must contact the Social Security office that granted you the benefits and apply for SSI benefits. If you are already receiving SSI benefits, whether or not you can receive SSD benefits depends upon whether or not you meet the requirements. If you have SSI benefits but your disability condition is only partial, you do not qualify to receive SSD benefits.

Benefits

• SSD and SSI benefits are both paid on a monthly basis. SSD benefits vary according to how much your income was before you become disabled and qualified to receive benefits. The Social Security Administration pays the same amount of SSI benefits to all recipients throughout the country. The only variation on this amount consists of whether you are single or married. As of 2011, SSI benefits are $674 for single people and $1,011 for married people. If you qualify to receive SSI or SSD benefits, you will receive a check the first of each month for which you qualify.