The Social Security disability program is America’s safety net and includes the “regular” disability program (SSDI) that calculates benefits based on a work record within the past five years. Additionally, there is Supplemental Security Income (SSI) for people with no appreciable earnings record, which protects groups such as the very young, homeless, or mentally ill – those whose impairments make them unemployable.
You can only receive Social Security disability benefits (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) if your impairment prevents you from working any full-time job, even the slightest. To be eligible, your disability must have lasted or be expected to last for 12 consecutive months.
Social Security screens applicants for SSI eligibility based on financial assets and countable income before determining if the person is disabled. The medical disability standard is consistent across all Social Security disability programs. It’s possible to receive both SSI and regular Social Security disability payments.
Past earnings If your SSDI is low, you may be eligible to receive up to the SSI amount if you meet all financial qualifications. In most cases, SSI eligibility entitles a person to immediate state Medicaid coverage. Entitlement gives Waiting periods aside from those who qualify for SSDI to Medicare.
The monthly SSI payment in 2010 was $674 for one person or $1011 for a disabled couple. SSI has an asset limit which they use to determine if someone has more than $2000 as an individual or $3000 as a couple by evaluating their resources (the things they own). The value of a home and, usually, of a car is excluded when determining assets. There is no asset limit for SSD, and it functions like an insurance policy.
SSI views cash and anything that can be easily converted to cash as a countable asset, including but not limited to earnings, stocks, bank accounts, bonds, etc. Furthermore, things with inherent value, such as Social Security benefits or other pensions, are also seen as assets. Finally, any goods or services you receive from others – e.g., food, clothes, or shelter – are included in the definition of an SSI asset. SSI benefits are conditional on applying for other available benefits, like food stamps, Medicaid, and VA benefits.
If you have a developmental disability, long-term disability, mental illness, or another medical condition that impedes your ability to work, you may be eligible for Social Security disability benefits. A person cannot qualify for SSDI unless their disability meets one of two requirements: either the disability will last for a year or more, or it will result in death.
An employee who is disabled but can still work under reasonable accommodations might not qualify for SSDI, and SSA does not provide short-term disability insurance.
The state’s Department of Labor and Industry worker’s compensation program covers anyone injured while working in Minnesota. The law requires every employer to have workers’ compensation insurance or be self-insured in case their employees get hurt or sick from work.
