FAQ

SSA can start payments more quickly than usual in four different types of situations:

• Presumptive Disability (PD) or presumptive blindness (PB) payment: Based on the severity of the condition and the likelihood that the claim will be approved, SSA may make payments for up to 6 months while DDS makes a final decision. This is not based on financial need.
• Emergency advance payment: A one-time advance payment to new claimants who "face a financial emergency and who are due SSI benefits that are delayed or not received"
• Immediate payment: An immediate payment to new claimants and SSI recipients whose benefits are delayed or not received and who face a financial emergency."
• Expedited reinstatement cases: If benefits are terminated because of excess earned income or a combination of earned and unearned income, claimants can request to have benefits started again without having to complete a new application.

We recommend visiting SSA's website to find out more: Understanding SSI - Expedited Payments (ssa.gov)

In certain circumstances, someone can get both SSI and SSDI. This happens when someone is approved for SSDI, but their monthly check is lower than the full SSI Federal Benefit Rate (FBR)*. This could be due to earning low wages throughout the employment history or limited recent work. In this case, the individual will receive SSI to supplement the payment to bring them up to the FBR. Since the Social Security Administration (SSA) discounts the first $20 of earned or unearned income an individual receives when calculating the SSI amount, a concurrent beneficiary will receive $20 above the SSI FBR.

*The Federal Benefit Rate changes annually and can be found at SSA Annual Updates.