Social Security disability is a total disability program, as is SSI. Neither program will award temporary disability benefits, meaning benefits that are paid out monthly for a temporary and defined time period. When a person is awarded disability benefits, the award is made under the assumption that the claimant will receive the benefits indefinitely, until such time as a future review (known as a CDR, or continuing disability review) determines that the individual has achieved medical improvement of their condition.

Nor will either program award benefits for “partial disability”, meaning the partial loss of use of an sensory ability (vision, hearing, for example), or the partial loss of an extremity.

For a condition to be considered disabling for an adult, it must result in the loss of the ability to engage in work activity while earning a substantial and gainful income. For a condition to be considered disabling for a child, it must result in the loss of the ability to engage in what SSA refers to as “age-appropriate activities”. For school-age children, this will ordinarily translate into an impairment of the ability to keep up with their peers in a school setting, which is why children filing for disability will have not only their medical records reviewed, but will often have their school records reviewed as well.

The new SSI federal base amount is $750 per month for an individual and $1,125 per month for a couple. The SSI payment amounts are higher in states that pay a supplementary SSI payment.

While exact Social Security retirement and disability benefit amounts depend on the lifetime earnings of the recipient, here are the average benefit amounts anticipated for 2018:
•average retirement benefit: $1,404
•average disability benefit: $1,197
•average surviving spouse benefit: $1,336.

The maximum Social Security retirement benefit that can be collected at full retirement age is $2,788 per month in 2018, though few people are able to collect this amount.

Note that, for some Social Security recipients, the 2% increase may be partially offset by increases in Medicare Part B premiums.

The Social Security Administration has announced a 2% increase in Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for 2018. Increased payments to Social Security recipients begin January 1, 2018, while increased payments to SSI recipients begin on December 29, 2017. Other numbers regarding eligibility for disability and average benefits have also changed for 2018.