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 is one that can be extremely frustrating to someone that is 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 straight forward 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 them 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.
