Disability benefits in Mississippi are provided through a federal program administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA), but there are differences in each state, including approval and denial rates, monthly payments for those receiving benefits through Supplemental Security Income (SSI), limits on charges for medical records, contact information for the local offices that administer disability benefits in your state, and vocational rehabilitation services. Below is an overview of the information specific to Mississippi.
The average Social Security disability payment in Mississippi is $869 per month, while the average SSI payment is just $506 per month (more on this below).
Mississippi Disability Determination Services (DDS) is the office that makes decisions on whether or not a Mississippian is disabled based on his or her medical record. After Social Security reviews applications to make sure the applicants are technically eligible to receive benefits (by meeting income or work history requirements), they are sent to the DDS office in Madison. If you have questions about your application after it is filed, you should contact DDS. Below is the contact information.
MS DDS
1281 Highway 51 North
Madison, MS 39110
Telephone: 800-962-2230
In Mississippi, when DDS reviews your initial application, you have a lower chance of being approved for benefits compared to the national average, though many of these denials are reversed at the appeal hearing. Below is a chart comparing Mississippi to the national averages.
Application Step |
Percent of Individuals Approved for Benefits |
Initial Application |
Mississippi: 25% Nationally: 35% |
Reconsideration Review |
Mississippi: 8% Nationally: 13% |
Appeal Hearing |
Mississippi: 45% Nationally: 45% |
Hearing Wait Time |
Mississippi: 12 months Nationally: 18 months |
In Mississippi, health care providers may charge you to make you a copy of your medical records to submit with your disability application or appeal, but the state limits how much a provider is allowed to charge you.
Number of Pages |
Cost Per Page |
1-20 |
No more than $20 for the set |
21-80 |
$1 |
81 and above |
$0.50 |
In addition to the charge per page, health care providers may charge you 10% of the total cost of copied pages for postage and handling. They may also charge you $15 if they have to get your records from an off-site location.
Mississippi does not offer any state supplementary payment for SSI recipients. The monthly payments from the federal government are $771 for an individual or $1,157 for a couple, but these amounts are usually reduced because SSI recipients often have earned or unearned income.
The Office of Hearings Operations (OHO) is the office that handles all disability appeals. When you have a hearing, you will go to one of the four hearing offices that handles the disability appeals for Mississippi. Below is the contact information for the three hearing offices in Mississippi and one in Memphis, which is currently hearing appeals for claimants from the Olive Branch field office.
Hattiesburg Hearing Office |
1901 Broadway Drive Telephone: 866-348-5831 Services the following Social Security field offices: Brookhaven, Forest, Gulfport, Hattiesburg, Laurel, McComb, Meridian, Moss Point, Natchez, and Philadelphia |
Jackson Hearing Office |
McCoy Federal Building, Suite 401 Telephone: 888-385-8499 Services the following Social Security field offices: Cleveland, Greenville, Greenwood, Jackson, Kosciusko, and Vicksburg |
Tupelo Hearing Office |
1150 South Green Street Telephone: 866-275-9405 Services the following Social Security field offices: Clarksdale, Columbus, Corinth, Grenada, Starkville, and Tupelo |
Memphis Hearing Office |
309 Monroe Avenue Services the Olive Branch field office |
Individuals who are disabled often face difficulties going back to work, if they can at all. The Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services (MDRS) is available to help those with disabilities find and keep a job. Specifically, the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) is the office that provides services including job counseling, job training, assistance finding a job, and help at your job, as needed. To apply for services, you should contact your local office or call 800-443-1000. To find the office closest to you, visit the OVR website.
Approval rates for disability applicants in Mississippi are significantly higher for those who are represented by lawyers than those who are not. To contact a lawyer for a free consultation, see our Mississippi lawyer locator tool below.
Updated August 30, 2019
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