The Supplemental Security Income program was created to serve the needs of individuals with low incomes who are disabled, blind, or age 65 or older. As a needs-based program, it provides monthly benefits to people who can use them for food, shelter, and necessities.
More than 500,000 people receive California disability benefits through SSI. Their monthly benefit payment from the federal government increases due to a state supplemental payment, but income received from other sources may have the opposite effect.
The disability professionals at Sackett and Associates present this explanation of the method used to calculate the SSI disability California residents receive each month. If you have questions about your benefits, a Sackett Law disability lawyer can answer them.
The SSI Program at a Glance
Social Security administers the SSI program. The program was designed to provide monthly benefit payments to people with limited resources and income who are blind, disabled, or at least 65 years of age or older. Unlike the Social Security Disability Insurance program, SSI does not require a work history and payment of Social Security taxes as a prerequisite to applying for benefits.
Another difference between SSI and SSDI is the method used to calculate monthly benefit payments. SSDI uses a worker’s average lifetime earnings. The federal government establishes a maximum monthly federal SSI benefit amount before the start of each year. The maximum federal benefit rate in 2025 is $967 for individuals and $1,450 for couples.
Requirements for approval of an application for SSI, in addition to being blind, disabled, or age 65 or older, include the following:
- Have access to limited resources with a value of $2,000 or less. Resources for couples cannot exceed $3,000.
- Income, both earned and unearned, must be limited.
- Applicants must be citizens of the United States or meet specific requirements for noncitizens.
Unless you apply for SSI based on your age, you must meet the disability definition used by the Social Security Administration when evaluating applications. People applying because of blindness have a separate definition they must meet.
The disability definition requires applicants to be unable to do substantial gainful work activity due to a medically verifiable physical or mental impairment. The impairment, or a combination of impairments, must last or be expected to last for at least 12 months.
A person applying for SSI because of blindness must have a central visual acuity of 20/200 or less in their better eye when using corrective lenses. An alternative definition requires the person to have a visual field limitation in their better eye where the widest diameter of the visual field subtends an angle no greater than 20 degrees. A disability lawyer can help you sort through the technical nature of the definitions.
Monthly Benefits Through SSI
If you have earned income from working, some of it may reduce your federal SSI benefits. For example, assume you were approved for the full federal benefit of $967, but you now have a part-time job and earn $575 during the month. The first $65 of earned income may be excluded, so your income becomes $510. If you did not have any unearned income for the month, a $20 unearned income exclusion can be applied toward your earnings from working.
Of the earned income remaining after deducting the $65, you may exclude an additional one-half of it. The result is that your monthly SSI federal benefit of $967 will be reduced by $255. You will receive $715 in federal SSI benefits.
California pays its residents who receive SSI benefits a monthly state supplemental payment of $239.94. If you apply the state supplemental payment to the $715 federal benefit from the above example, your combined monthly SSI payment amount would be $954.94. However, if you were not working and receiving the maximum federal rate along with the state supplemental payment, your combined monthly payment would be $1,206.94.
California pays couples $607.83 as a state supplemental payment. Couples receiving the maximum federal rate and the state payment would have a combined benefit of $2,057.83 per month.
If you do not reside in California, your monthly SSI payment amount could be different. Some states do not provide their residents with a state supplemental payment. Those states with a supplemental payment may not pay the same amount as California, or may base the payment amount on the person’s living arrangements. A disability attorney from Sackett Law can review your specific situation, including the state where you reside, to determine the combined amount of your Social Security income.
Consult an SSI attorney
Sackett and Associates has been the disability law firm that people with disabilities in California and nationally have relied upon for advice and skilled representation for all matters related to disability benefits through the Social Security Administration. Contact Sackett Law today for a free consultation and evaluation of your claim.
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