What Is Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)?

Social Security Disability Insurance, also known as SSDI or SSD, is insurance that provides income for individuals who have worked and paid Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) taxes. The FICA tax is a United States payroll tax imposed by the federal government on both employees and employers to fund Social Security and Medicare. Social Security Disability benefits are payable to disabled workers, widows, widowers, children under age 18, or adults who have been disabled since childhood. SSDI also provides a variety of benefits to family members when a primary wage earner in the family becomes disabled or deceased.

Social Security Disability Eligibility Requirements

There are more than 4 million people under retirement age who receive Social Security Disability because their impairment or health prevents them from working. To be eligible to receive Social Security Disability benefits you or a qualifying family member must be fully and currently insured under the Social Security program. It is a very complicated formula to understand, but it basically means that you must have worked and paid your FICA taxes to the government. Fully insured requires you to have worked at least several years after the age of 21; how manyyears depends on your age. To be currently insured you must have worked and paid your FICA taxes for approximately 5 of the last 10 years. Most employees who receive a W-2 from their employer are paying the required FICA taxes out of the overall taxes they pay to the federal government. Self-employed workers and certain professions do not automatically pay into Social Security. If you or a qualifying family member has paid the required amount of Social Security taxes, and a doctor who says you simply can’t work anymore as a result of your impairment(s) has treated you, you're probably eligible for disability insurance benefits.

Adults

The Social Security Administration (SSA) definition of disability is different than other programs, including worker's compensation or VA benefit programs. SSA only considers total disability from employment, not partial or short-term disability. Under the SSA's rules, you may be considered disabled if you satisfy the following requirements:

• Your disability has lasted or is expected to last for at least 12 months (one year). If your disability is expected to result in death before the 12 month requirement is met, you will satisfy this requirement;
• Depending on your age, you are unable to do any of the jobs that you performed in the past 15 years, or, if you are a younger individual, you are unable to do any type of work, notwithstanding whether you have performed that type of work in the past;
• The medical evidence supporting your claim convinces the Social Security Administration that your impairment is severe enough under their rules to prevent you from working. If your case is at the initial application or reconsideration stages, an analyst will make that determination. If you are at the hearing or Appeals Council stages, an administrative law judge will decide your claim.

For Adults Disabled Before Age 22 (also known as - Disabled Adult Child)

An adult who is disabled before age 22 may be eligible for benefits if a parent is deceased or starts receiving retirement or disability benefits. This benefit is commonly referred to as Disabled Adult Child's benefits (DAC). The Social Security Administration considers DAC an "adult child's" benefit because it is paid on a parent's Social Security earnings record. The "adult child"(including an adopted child, or, in some cases, a stepchild, grandchild, or step grandchild) must be unmarried, age 18 or older and have a disability that started before age 22.

What is Supplemental Security Income (SSI)?

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) pays monthly cash benefits to people who are age 65 or older, those who are blind or those who have a disability and who do not own much or have a lot of income. The requirements for SSI disability are the same as with Social Security Disability, however, to qualify for SSI a financial need threshold must also be met. An individual may collect both Social Security Disability Insurance and SSI if they are insured and their Social Security Disability Insurance benefit amount is less than their state's maximum SSI benefit. However, unlike Social Security disability, SSI does not require the claimant to have worked and paid taxes. An individual can collect SSI benefits if they meet the disability and financial need requirements. For more information, call us or fill out our evaluation form by clicking below.