Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is one of two very important programs that the Social Security Administration operates in order to provide benefits for people who are disabled. 

If you are unable to work because of a serious physical or mental condition, you should talk with a Los Angeles disability benefits lawyer about whether SSI is the right program to try to qualify for. 

​What Does ​​Supplemental Security Income Mean?

​Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is monthly income available to the elderly or disabled who have low income and who are not able to work. 

SSI is an alternative to Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) for people who need money to support themselves and their families due to being unable to work.  While Social Security Disability Insurance requires that the disabled person have earned a sufficient amount of work credits in order to become eligible for benefits, SSI does not impose a work history requirement. 

SSI benefits will not be available to you if you make too much money or if you own too many assets. You will also need to meet a very strict definition of exactly what it means to be disabled, just as those who are eligible for Social Security Disability Insurance must meet a strict definition of disabled. 

SSI benefits are typically smaller than SSDI benefits, but could be the best and only option you have if your disability has prevented you from working before you earned enough work credits to qualify for SSDI. A Los Angeles disability benefits lawyer will help you to determine if you can become eligible for SSI and if this is the right program from the Social Security Administration to help you obtain benefits.