Supplemental Security Income
SSI claims: disability benefits without a work history
Supplemental Security Income exists for people the insurance side of Social Security misses — adults who never earned enough work credits, and children with disabilities. It is needs-based, the paperwork is unforgiving, and it is one of the two things this firm has handled since 1992.
Who SSI is for
Two doors into the same medical standard. SSDI requires a work record; SSI requires financial need. If your income and resources are limited — the resource limit is $2,000 for an individual, $3,000 for a couple, with important exclusions like the home you live in and one vehicle — you can qualify for SSI with no work history at all. That makes it the benefit for adults disabled young, for people whose work credits have lapsed, and for children.
The disability test for adults is the same one SSDI uses: a condition that prevents substantial work and lasts at least twelve months. Children are judged differently — on how the condition limits their functioning compared to other children the same age. Either way, the case is won on documentation.
What SSI pays
Up to the federal benefit rate: $994 a month for an individual in 2026, reduced by whatever countable income you already have. Two things surprise people. First, SSI has no retroactive benefits for the months before you apply — unlike SSDI — so waiting to file costs money that cannot be recovered. Second, in Arizona an SSI award generally brings AHCCCS health coverage with it, and for many families the coverage matters as much as the check.
Children’s SSI
A child’s SSI case turns on school records, therapy notes, and the observations of the adults who see the child daily, assembled into the functional picture Social Security’s rules require. Families are rarely told that a child’s eligibility can also interact with benefits on a parent’s record — don’t forget the kids covers what routinely goes unclaimed.
Concurrent claims
Plenty of claimants qualify for a small SSDI benefit and SSI at the same time. Filing both together — a concurrent claim — is routine for us and easy to get wrong alone, because the two programs count income differently and a mistake on one side can shrink the other.
What we do not handle
SSI and SSDI claims, through every appeal stage — with one exception: we do not take disability overpayment cases, where Social Security says it paid too much and wants it back. Anything else, call. If your situation belongs in a different area of law, we will say so in the first conversation and point you to someone we trust with it.
Clients also ask
What is the difference between SSI and SSDI?
SSDI is an earned benefit based on your work history and payroll taxes; SSI is a needs-based benefit for people with limited income and resources, no work history required. The medical standard for disability is the same in both — and some people qualify for both at once.
How much does SSI pay?
Up to the federal benefit rate — $994 a month for an individual in 2026 — reduced by whatever countable income you already have. Unlike SSDI, SSI pays nothing for the months before your application, which is one more reason to file promptly.
Can children get SSI?
Yes. A child with a qualifying disability can receive SSI if the household meets the income and resource limits. Children’s cases are judged on how the condition limits functioning compared to other children the same age, not on ability to work.