Clearing the Muddy Waters of Social Security Disability

There are many people out there that have questions about the Social Security Disability process, how it works, if they qualify and what to do. This process can be extremely frustrating to someone unfamiliar with the laws or the process. If this is you, you are not the only one out there feeling that way. Here are some basic questions that we hear a lot and a few simple straightforward answers to those questions. We hope that this information can help you to better understand the process, and know what you should do next.

The question we probably hear more than any other is "How are Social Security Disability and Supplemental Security Income different? The truth is, there is a lot of difference between them. Social Security Disability is known as SSD and Supplemental Security Income is known as SSI. The common ground between the two is they are both for disabled citizens, but that is where the commonality ends.

SSI is for those people that are disabled and have never worked or have not worked enough to qualify for SSD. This is a wide group, including children, mothers or fathers who stay at home, or people who worked before they were disabled, but did not pay enough into Social Security to qualify for SSD benefits. SSI also is income based, so if you are married and your spouse makes too much money for the Social Security guidelines you could be denied even if you are disabled.

Social Security Disability works like this: you work, you pay taxes, and you pay for Social Security. The Social Security Administration keeps records on each individual, recording how many years they worked, how much they earned, and how many Social Security "quarters" they have worked and paid. Once a person has qualified for SSD benefits, a Social Security record or statement will be provided to them annually. This statement will detail how much money you could receive if you became disabled and approved for Social Security Disability benefits. This statement also tells you your Date Last Insured often referred to as your DLI.