Can I Apply for Early Retirement and Disability Benefits?

The Social Security program in America was designed to help those who are unable to garner normal wages still have an acceptable quality of life. In general, the two kinds of benefits are those from retirement (SSI) and those from Disability (SSDI). The former is typically obtained after working for many years and collecting income after retirement, while the latter is given to those that cannot find or hold a job due to a disability. Depending on one’s circumstances, it may seem beneficial to collect both of these benefits at the same time. Is this possible?

The answer is that, yes, a person can receive both retirement and Disability benefits from the Social Security program. In fact, there are numerous situations where this might happen. For example, if a person becomes disabled at a young age where he or she hasn’t worked for too long or if a person has received low enough wages to not garner a high amount of retirement funding. Under these circumstances and more, it would be worth pursuing both types of benefits.

That being said, more often than not, an individual that receives both SSI and SSDI will receive lower benefits from both. The reasoning behind this is that even though the benefits are low, combined they should be enough for a person to make a livable amount. Additionally, all income contributes to the benefits of both programs, so the income received from one will push down the person to a lower bracket in the other.

If you or someone you know is pursuing Social Security benefits and is having a difficult time qualifying for enough, having an attorney on your side during the appeal process drastically increases your chances of victory. To learn about how we at the Franco Firm can serve you in this role, call us at (813) 872-0929,