Oklahoma City – How Much Does Disability Pay?

A medical condition that prevents you from working and earning the money needed to pay the monthly bills and meet everyday expenses frequently results in financial hardship. If you live in Oklahoma City, Social Security disability pay offers much-need financial relief provided you meet the eligibility guidelines that apply to either the Social Security Disability Insurance or Supplemental Security Income programs.

One of the first questions that you may have when meeting with a disability advocate at London Disability is about the disability pay Oklahoma City residents receive from SSDI and SSI. The information that follows takes you through the disability pay process to explain how it works and the amount that someone qualifying for it can anticipate receiving each month.

How Much Does Disability Pay Through SSI?

The amount of the monthly benefit payment that you can expect to receive depends on which of the programs, SSI or SSDI, approve your application. Each program has its own eligibility requirements, but it is possible for someone to receive benefits from both programs provided they meet the requirements for eligibility for both.

SSI is a need-based program that pays monthly benefits to disabled or blind adults and children. A key eligibility requirement is that your income and resources must be limited. For example, a married couple cannot have resources with a total value in excess of $3,000. Resources for an individual cannot exceed $2,000.

The reason for the limits on income and resources is the need-based nature of the SSI program. It is intended to provide money for food and shelter when a disability or blindness prevents a person from being able to do so. As a result, income or resources available to buy or exchange for food or shelter affects eligibility for the program.

It is essential to obtain advice and assistance from a disability advocate when applying for benefits through SSI because not all sources of income or resources count against the limitations. For example, the following income sources do not count as income for SSI:

• The first $20 of earned or unearned income received during the month.
• The first $65 of earnings from work or self-employment.
• One-half of the balance of earnings after the deduction of the first $65.
• Income tax refunds.
• Money spent on your behalf for phone bills, medical or other expenses other than food or shelter.

If you have a disability or are blind and meet the income and resource standards, SSI pays up to $914 a month in 2023 to individuals and $1,371 to eligible couples as shown on the disability pay chart at the Social Security website. However, countable income that you receive from other sources reduces the monthly benefit, so speak to a disability advocate to learn more about how income and resources may affect your eligibility and the benefit payment that you receive each month.

Oklahoma is one of many states that pay residents a state-funded supplement to the federal SSI benefit, but the application and decision-making process follows state guidelines. A disability advocate at London Disability can assist you with an application for state supplemental benefits through Oklahoma Human Resources, which handles the processing of claims.

How Much Does Disability Pay Through SSDI?

Unlike SSI, which is a need-based program, eligibility for SSDI is based on your work history at jobs or through self-employment. You need to have worked long enough and paid Social Security taxes on the earnings to be eligible for SSDI benefits. You do not have resource or income restrictions to meet as with SSI, but the amount of earnings that you have from working may affect eligibility if they are “substantial.”

The definition that Social Security uses to determine whether you are disabled looks at monthly earnings from work. If you are blind and earn more than $2460 in 2023 or $1470 a month if you are disabled and not statutorily blind, you are considered as able to engage in substantial gainful activity and do not meet the definition of disability required to qualify for SSDI.

Benefits payable through SSDI depend on your lifetime earnings from work or self-employment. Essentially, the more that you earn when working, the more money you can receive in Social Security retirement or disability benefits each month. However, there is a limit on the maximum SSDI monthly benefit that changes each year. For 2023, the maximum benefit amount is $3,627 per month.

Your SSDI benefit is not reduced by other income that you receive except for benefits you get through state benefit programs. An example of a state benefit payment would be workers’ compensation benefits. Depending upon how much you receive from the state, it could reduce your monthly SSDI payment.

Get More Information About Disability Pay

London Disability specializes in helping people receive the disability pay they deserve with disability advocates to help you apply for SSI and SSDI or to assist with an appeal of a denial of benefits. Learn more about how London Disability can help during a free consultation.