Types of Claims:
Disability Insurance Benefits (DIB)
You are eligible for these benefits only if you have paid a certain amount of Social Security tax (the FICA deduction on your paycheck) over a recent period of time, about five out of the last 10 years before you became totally disabled. In some cases, your spouse and dependent children may also get benefits in addition to your own.
Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
SSI eligibility is not dependent on whether a person has paid in enough Social Security tax to get benefits. This benefit is based on financial need.
Criteria:
You must be disabled under the same rules as for disability insurance.
- Or you must be blind.
- Or you must be over 65.
- Some children 18 or younger with a severe disability can get a monthly benefit if their family income is low enough.
- In addition to ensuring that you meet the criteria above, Social Security will look at all other income and property in the household you live in, not just your own, and also the value of any support (like free room and board) you may get from others to determine if you meet the financial need requirement.
Disability Widow/Widower Benefits (DWB)
This is a special disability benefit for certain widows and widowers, based on the Social Security tax paid by the deceased spouse. In order to qualify, you must be between the ages of 50 and 60 and have been married for at least 10 years to the person who was covered under Social Security at the time of his or her death. Also, you must have proof that your disability was severe enough to meet these rules within seven years of your spouse's death, with some exceptions for those already receiving other kinds of Social Security benefits. If you are awarded DWB benefits, your monthly rate is determined by your spouse's income and Social Security tax payments. However, a surviving spouse's pension can usually be paid at the age of 60, regardless of any disability.
Disabled Adult Child Benefits (DAC)
In order to be eligible, you must be a child of a person who is already receiving disability insurance benefits or retirement benefits or who died while covered for Social Security. You must be at least 19 years old, and you must prove your total disability began before the month you turned age 22 and is continuing. The monthly benefit rate is based on a percentage of your parent's rate. Therefore, it is different in each particular case.