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Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Between SSDI and SSI: What’s the Difference?

The Social Security Administration administers two programs which aim to help the disabled with their financial needs – the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

Unfortunately, a lot of applicants file their application for disability benefits under programs where they don’t qualify and so their much-needed benefits are not received immediately.

To help these applicants, here are the general differences between the two programs:

• SSDI applicants must have paid enough social security taxes and has worked long enough. SSI applicants only need to meet the financial requirements imposed by the SSA.

• Funds for the SSDI benefits are taken from social security taxes while funds for the SSI are taken from general taxes and so applicants for SSI doesn’t have to have long employment history to qualify unlike SSDI beneficiaries.

• Income of SSI beneficiary’s household will be calculated as well to determine if he is qualified for the benefits or not.

• Aside from the worker who paid the social security taxes, some of his family members may also be qualified for SSDI benefits.

Aside from the above qualifications, all disability beneficiaries must also meet the qualification for their condition to be considered as a disability. Here are some of them:

• The medical condition must be apparent, recognized, and is diagnosed by a qualified physician

• The condition must be estimated to last for at least 12 months or will result to death

• The condition must be keeping him from doing his previous work

For claimants who met the above qualifications and yet their applications were rejected by the agency, consulting with an experienced social security and disability representative could help.