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Missouri Get The Support They Deserve

What is the difference between SSI and SSDI?

On Behalf of | May 20, 2022 | Social Security Disability

Missouri residents and other Americans who have serious disabilities that prevent them from making enough to get by may be eligible for certain forms of government assistance, such as Supplemental Security Income or Social Security Disability Insurance. Though often confused, there are some important and fundamental differences between the two types of benefit programs, including how you qualify for each.

Per GoBankingRates, the SSI program is broader in scope than the SSDI program. It may, too, apply to Americans who are 65 and older, while Americans that fall within this age range are not typically eligible for SSDI payments. Instead, when someone receives SSDI payments, those payments convert to Social Security retirement benefits once the recipient reaches retirement age.

SSI

You may be eligible to receive SSI payments if you have a visual impairment or another type of documented disability. You may, too, be able to get them if you are 65 or older and have very limited income. Unlike SSDI benefits, your ability to secure SSI payments depends primarily on your income, rather than how many work credits you accrued in a Social Security-covered position.

SSDI

The U.S. Social Security Administration reserves SSDI payments for Americans with severe disabilities that are either unlikely to improve or likely to result in an individual’s death. Whether you qualify for these benefits depends on certain factors. Some of these factors include how much time you devoted to jobs covered by Social Security and whether your condition meets the SSA’s tight definition of “disability.”

There are certain formulas in place that help determine how much you might receive in SSI or SSDI payments each month.

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