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Both social security disability (SSD) and supplemental security income (SSI) programs fall under the social security act, and were adopted to provide relief to disabled individuals who are physically or mentally incapable of working, or at least are unable to earn enough money to get by. Both SSD and SSI cases are decided by the state disability agency in charge of determining disability cases, and the disability examiner evaluating a disability claim will not handle an SSI case any differently than an SSD case. However, SSD and SSI are two different programs, covered by different titles of the social security act. SSD cases, also called social security disability insurance (SSDI) cases, are sometimes referred to as Title 2 claims because they are covered by Title 2 of the social security act. SSD is awarded to disabled claimants who have worked enough to have contributed a certain amount to the social security system (social security taxes from a paycheck). In addition, even if a claimant has a significant work history, the claimant may not qualify for SSD benefits if he or she has been out of work for a number of years or has not earned enough in recent history to qualify for disability benefits. Supplemental security income, or SSI, claims are covered by Title 16 of the social security act, and this type of disability is meant to help out those who did not work before they became disabled; e.g., stay-at-home moms, divorced homemakers, the disabled child who is legally an adult but incapable of working, etc.; as well as those who worked in the past but have been out of work for a number of years, or who have not earned enough to meet the SSDI requirements. Some claimants will be eligible for both SSD and SSI, and receive concurrent benefits, or payments from both programs. This happens when a claimant has worked and paid into the social security system, but has not contributed enough to the social security disability insurance program to receive much compensation in SSD benefits. SSI can act as a safety net for those who have worked at low-paying jobs, and guarantee that their disability payments will be enough to survive on. SSI is different from SSD in one very important way: SSI is awarded to individuals based on their financial need, rather than on their disability. A disabled person must have no more than two thousand dollars in countable assets, including his or her home and any car other than the one used for transportation, in order to qualify for supplemental security income. So, while both SSD and SSI are programs put in place to ensure that disabled individuals receive financial compensation, SSI benefits will be awarded only to those who can demonstrate that they are not only physically or mentally disabled, but also have few other financial sources of income, while SSD benefits are awarded based on how much and how recently a claimant has paid into the social security disability insurance fund. 
Social Security Disability and SSI Disability Information
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