A disabling medical condition can quickly lead to financial hardship when it affects a person’s ability to work. Disability benefits California residents with short-term illnesses or injuries may find beneficial are available through the State Disability Insurance program, or SDI.
Someone with a disabling condition expected to last for a year or longer may find financial relief through two federal programs: Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Deciding on the best program for you and how to apply for benefits can be overwhelming, but help is available.
The disability professionals at Sackett and Associates have been assisting individuals with disabilities throughout California and nationwide with their disability claims for over 45 years. Here is an explanation of the benefits California residents could receive through California State Disability Insurance (SDI), SSDI, and SSI.
Short-Term Disability Benefits Through The SDI Program
California is one of only a few states to offer a state disability program. To apply for disability benefits through SDI, you must be unable to work because of an illness or injury that was not work-related or due to pregnancy or childbirth.
The SDI disability payment amount is 70-90% of the weekly wages you earned while working during a base period, which is five to 18 months before the claim start date. The claim start date is the onset date of the disability.
SDI is a short-term program with benefits payable for up to one year. It does not provide benefits for work-related illness or injury. Work-related claims must be filed through the state’s workers’ compensation program.
Getting Financial Assistance When You Have A Severe, Long-Term Medical Condition
The SSI and SSDI programs through the Social Security Administration do not pay benefits for medical conditions causing physical or mental impairment anticipated to last for less than one year. To apply for benefits through SSDI or SSI, you must have a medically provable physical or mental impairment that prevents you from doing substantial gainful work activity for at least 12 months or it must be expected to result in death.
Claimants for Social Security disability benefits through SSDI must have worked for a long enough time to be insured under the program. The work must have been at jobs or self-employment with Social Security taxes paid on the money you earned.
SSI does not require a work history, but it does have income and resource limits that you will not find in the guidelines for SSDI. You cannot have more than little or no income, and resources cannot exceed $2,000 in value for individuals and $3,000 for couples.
How Much Do The Social Security Disability Programs Pay In California?
The SSDI California rates for monthly benefits depend on your average lifetime earnings working at jobs or self-employment where you paid Social Security taxes. The money you earned working at a job where you did not pay into the Social Security system does not count toward determining your benefit amount.
The maximum monthly SSDI benefit available for 2025 is $4,018. However, the average monthly payment a disabled worker receives is $1,582. After you receive benefits for 24 months, you receive medical coverage through the Medicare program. Although Medicare coverage typically begins when you turn 65, receive coverage sooner if you receive SSDI benefits.
The monthly amount of SSI benefits California residents receive depends on whether they have income from other sources and the type of income. The maximum federal monthly SSI payment for individuals in 2025 is $967. Couples can receive $1,450. However, if you have earned or unearned monthly income, it may reduce your SSI benefit.
What you need to know about the SSI program is that not all income counts toward the reduction of your monthly benefit payment. For example, if you have a part-time job, you may exclude the first $65 and one-half of the balance from it to calculate the reduced amount of your SSI benefit payment. If you have only earned income during a month, a $20 unearned income exclusion can be used to further reduce your countable earned income.
California Supplements Federal SSI Payments
The SSI benefits California residents receive get an added boost from a supplemental payment paid by the state. The maximum federal SSI benefit of $967 that you may receive increases by a state supplemental payment of $239.94 for a maximum combined benefit of $1,206.04
The state supplemental payment for couples is $607.83 per month. The result for couples is a maximum combined monthly benefit of $2,057.83.
Consult A Disability Benefits Lawyer For Help With Benefit Payments
You may have questions or concerns about disability benefits, including whether you receive all the benefits you may be entitled to under state and federal law. The Sackett Law firm has disability benefit professionals available to assist you. Contact us today for a free consultation and claim evaluation.
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