Almost one in three Americans becomes disabled. While some disabilities are caused by on the job injuries or other types of accidents, many are caused by medical or mental conditions that make the individual unable to work. There are two main categories that may provide disability income. The first area is Social Security Disability Insurance or SSDI. The second area is Supplemental Security Income or SSI. No matter which area you attempt to receive social security disability benefits from, you must first complete a social security disability application. This application can be very difficult to complete and it can take a considerable amount of time to be approved and begin receiving benefits.
Due to the complexity of the application, many people choose to hire an attorney to get them through the process. The attorney is then paid on a contingency basis, which means that they will receive a percentage of your back benefit. But they do not receive pay until you receive a benefit. Some firms are able to speed up the process that may take you two to three years to get through, as short as a few months, although every case is different.
Understanding the difference between SSDI and SSI will help you to determine which benefit to apply for. SSDI is designed for individuals that have worked in a position that have paid into the social security disability benefits. The individual's benefit is calculated using a formula and looks at the last few highest years of earnings, and how long the individual have paid into the system.
SSI or Supplemental Security Income is a federally funded program. It is designed to pay benefits to people who are blind, elderly or disabled that have either very small amounts of income or no income at all. This program provides the applicant with an allowance to help to pay for food, housing, clothing and other needs. This income can fluctuate based on the amount of available federal funding. The amount of allowance takes into consideration the number of people in the household, the amount of income in the household. No matter what the benefit, there is many pieces of documentation that you must have to fill out a social security disability application. A list of these along with other important information can be found on the Social Security website.
Due to the complexity of the application, many people choose to hire an attorney to get them through the process. The attorney is then paid on a contingency basis, which means that they will receive a percentage of your back benefit. But they do not receive pay until you receive a benefit. Some firms are able to speed up the process that may take you two to three years to get through, as short as a few months, although every case is different.
Understanding the difference between SSDI and SSI will help you to determine which benefit to apply for. SSDI is designed for individuals that have worked in a position that have paid into the social security disability benefits. The individual's benefit is calculated using a formula and looks at the last few highest years of earnings, and how long the individual have paid into the system.
SSI or Supplemental Security Income is a federally funded program. It is designed to pay benefits to people who are blind, elderly or disabled that have either very small amounts of income or no income at all. This program provides the applicant with an allowance to help to pay for food, housing, clothing and other needs. This income can fluctuate based on the amount of available federal funding. The amount of allowance takes into consideration the number of people in the household, the amount of income in the household. No matter what the benefit, there is many pieces of documentation that you must have to fill out a social security disability application. A list of these along with other important information can be found on the Social Security website.
