Depending on your circumstances, you may qualify for either Social Security Disability Insurance Benefits (DIB) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI). These are the major differences in the two programs:
Social Security Disability (DIB): If you suffer a disability and can no longer work, you may qualify for this benefit if you have worked a number of years and paid sufficient FICA taxes into the government trust account. You were required to pay taxes into the Social Security system, so you are filing for a benefit on a program you have already paid into. However, even though people have worked their whole lives and faithfully paid Social Security taxes, the government rejects many claims of people who deserve disability benefits.
Supplemental Security Income (SSI): If you or a disabled family member have not paid enough into the Social Security system to qualify for benefits under the DIB program, you may still be able to receive SSI. The agency will consider your income status and review the resources available to you in determining qualification. Examples of persons who fit into this category include a stay-at-home parent who has worked intermittently, or a young person who worked little or not at all before suffering the disability.
In either case, Caldwell & Ober will provide you with excellent representation to help you win the benefits you rightly deserve.
