Which states allocate the most money for Social Security disability?

The Social Security Administration (SSA) offers two programs to assist people with disabilities in the United States.

The first, Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), is a type of “social insurance” given to workers who become disabled. The benefits can also be claimed by the dependents of these workers. The program is designed to replace the lost income for those who are unable to work due to a disability. Each month workers pay into taxes to the SSA and those funds can be claimed if a one becomes disabled.

The second program Supplemental Security Income (SSI) does not come out of the Social Security tax pot. Instead, funds for this program come from general tax revenues and is designed to support low income people who are elderly, blind, or any other way disabled and unable to work.

Who is eligible for these programs?

Before reaching retirement, one in four workers in the US will claim disability benefits through the SSA.

To apply for SSDI benefits, workers will need to provide the SSA with the following information:

If approved, the SSA will begin to distribute benefits on a monthly basis based on the amount of taxes that has been paid into the pot.

To receive benefits one must “meet the definition of disability under the Social Security Act.” The definition is sweeping and includes anyone who “can’t work due to a severe medical condition that has lasted, or is expected to last, at least one year or result in death.” However, the disability must make them unable to work any job, not just the job they had prior to the onset of the illness.

To apply for SSI, applicants must also meet the definition above. Benenfits for both programs can be claimed at the same time. The SSA describes the benefit amount as “modest.” In 2019, the average SSDI check was $1,234 for all disabled workers and the SSA noted that it “is barely enough to keep a beneficiary above the 2018 poverty level ($12,140 annually).” SSI benefits can help to boost these payments to help disabled people meet their basic needs.

Which states have the largest SSDI payments?

The amount distributed varies by state which could relate to the cost of living in each areas and that average salaries made by those who will claim benefits. The approval rate also tends to vary widely across states, raising questions over the fairness of accessibility to the program. For example, the state with the highest approval rate is Kansas with nearly seventy percent of applicants receiving benefits, while in Oklahoma only a little over a third of do.

Benefit Amount -- highlest and lowest

In 2020, the highest average benefits were given to those eligible in New Jersey ($1,388), Delaware ($1,348), Nevada ($1,321), Connecticut ($1,308), Maryland ($1,308), and Arizona ($1,307) had the highest SSDI benefits.

Those with the lowest average benefit include South Dakota ($1,168), North Dakota ($1,176), Maine ($1,179), Nebraska ($1,182) and Vermont ($1,186).

Which states have the latest SSI payments?

These payment amounts vary widely because it is up to the states whether or not they bolster the payments sent to those eligible. According to AARP there are only eleven states that adminster SSI, part of all of the benefit amounts.

If you reside in a state that is not part of. theaforementioned list, it is best to call the SSA or your state’s department of human services to find out more about the benefits offered by your state.