The United States Social Security Administration sends different checks throughout the month to disability beneficiaries. In a typical calendar month there may be as many as 5 different checks. Not all beneficiaries, disability or otherwise, can get all of these checks. There are certain limits in this regard.
But what is true is that an American who has a disability has access to two different Social Security payments per month. Each of those payments has different amounts and different characteristics. It is not because we have one of the checks that we are going to get the other and vice versa. Therefore, we must take a good look at the requirements, as getting both monthly payments can be a great advantage for any American who needs it.
And best of all, many Americans who do qualify for the two payments don’t really know it. This gives many Americans with a disability a real opportunity to get the two monthly payments. Just by checking the requirements and applying for a check as soon as possible we can find out if we are eligible.
Each of these checks has a mailing day and they are monthly, so we can only get it once a month. Even so, there are some exceptions that in some months we will get an extra check from one of the two. But the important thing about this situation is that the Social Security Administration will send us the checks directly and without any problems if we are eligible.
WHAT CHECKS CAN A SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY BENEFICIARY GET?
There are a total of two checks that a United States citizen with a disability can get. The first of these checks is the Social Security retirement benefit. The second check is the Supplemental Security Income. These two checks are complementary, but it is not mandatory to have one in order to get the other.
In order to get them, you must be eligible and the requirements for each are different. The Supplemental Security Income has more stringent requirements, but the disability benefit may have more exceptions.
Let’s look at each of these requirements for each of the checks.
SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY BENEFIT
This check has a maximum of $3,627 per month in 2023. When 2024 begins we will see a 3.2% higher check due to the COLA. To get this benefit we must have a disability that prevents us from working on a regular basis. This Social Security criterion is not overly strict and we will need medical documents to prove that our situation is real.
The payments of this benefit always arrive on the 3rd day of each month or on the second, third or fourth Wednesday of the month. The day of payment depends on whether we are retired before or after 1997 and on our birthday. Regardless of this, we can only get one check per month with the maximum amount mentioned above.
SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY INCOME
Supplemental Security Income monthly checks have a maximum amount of $914 per month, which will also increase with the COLA beginning in 2024. In terms of eligibility, SSI payments are a bit more stringent.
To get the SSI benefit we need to be 65 or older or have a disability. Likewise, low monthly income is also mandatory. The idea of SSI is not that it is a primary benefit, but extra money for the neediest Americans.
The check is always sent on the 1st of each month, although there may be exceptions. That is why we sometimes find that we receive two different checks for this benefit in one month. When that happens, Americans with a disability do not get the check for the following month, since it has arrived early.