SSI Meaning: Here’s What It Means and How To Use It

Many federal benefits programs provide financial assistance to seniors and those who are living with disabilities — SSI being one of them. What’s SSI, you ask? We’ll tell you. 

Read on to discover all you need to know about SSI, including what it is, who qualifies and more. 

What Is the Definition of SSI?

According to the Collins Dictionary, SSI is an abbreviation for “Supplemental Security Income.” It refers to money that the government pays to elderly and disabled people with limited income or assets. 

What’s The Difference Between SSI and SSDI?

The Social Security Administration (SSA) offers two types of disability benefits: SSI and SSDI. 

The main difference between these two federal programs is that SSI benefits are determined by disability, age, income, and resources. 

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits, on the other hand, are determined by disability and work credits. This means that the SSI recipient can qualify for Medicare after 24 months of payment. In most states, SSI recipients automatically qualify for Medicaid.

Who Is Eligible for SSI?

As mentioned above, SSI benefits are determined by a few things. You may qualify for SSI payments if you meet one of these requirements:

• Be partially or totally blind
• Be age 65 or older
• Have a medical ailment or condition that prevents you from working and is expected to last a minimum of 12 months or result in death. 

The Social Security Administration says that you also must have:

• Limited income
• Limited resources
• A social security number (SSN) or proof of citizenship

How Much Can an SSI Recipient Get?

According to www.ssa.gov, the basic monthly SSI payment is the same nationwide. It is approximately $841 for one person and $1,261 for a couple. 

That said, it’s important to remember that not everyone gets the same amount. You may reside in a state that adds money to your federal SSI payment. You may receive less money if you or a family member has other forms of income. 

Where and with whom you live also makes a difference in the amount of your SSI payment.

How Do You Qualify for SSI?

Qualifying for the SSI program can be a little tedious, but a social security representative at your local social security office can help you with the eligibility requirements. More often than not, you will be asked to supply the following:

• Your Income — This includes bank statements showing the money you earn, your pensions, Social Security benefits, and the value of items you get from someone else, such as shelter and food. 
• Residence and Citizenship — In order to qualify for SSI, you must reside in one of the 50 states, the District of Columbia (DC), or the Northern Mariana Islands.
• Your Assets — If your assets (such as bank accounts, stocks and bonds) are worth no more than $2,000 for a single person or $3,000 for a married couple living together, you may be able to get SSI. 

Initial SSI claims can take anywhere between 30 and 90 days to process, but if you happen to be one of the lucky ones who gets approved on their initial claim, you’ll find that Social Security Disability approval takes no more than 90 days. In other words, you’ll get your benefit amount relatively fast.

If your initial claim is not approved, however, then at this point, you’ll have to go through the disability appeal process, meaning it will take longer to get your Social Security Disability benefits.

What Are Translations of SSI?

Now that you’re up to speed on the meaning behind SSI, you might be wondering how to say our word of the day in a different language. 

Here are some common translations of social security:

• Arabic: ضَمَانٌ اجْتِمَاعِيّ 
• Brazilian Portuguese — previdência social 
• Chinese (simplified) — 社会保障 
• Croatian — socijalno osiguranje 
• Czech — sociální zabezpečení 
• Danish — socialhjælp 
• Dutch — uitkering 
• European Spanish — seguridad social 
• Finnish — sosiaaliturva 
• French — sécurité sociale 
• Japanese — 社会保障 
• Korean — 사회 보장 
• Norwegian — trygdesystem 
• Polish — ubezpieczenie społeczne 
• European Portuguese — segurança social 
• Romanian — ajutor de stat
• Russian — социальное страхование 
• Spanish — seguridad social 
• British English — social security
• Swedish — social trygghet 
• Thai — เงินประกันสังคม
• American English — welfare 
• Turkish — sosyal güvenlik 
• Ukrainian — соціальний захист
• Vietnamese — an sinh xã hội
• German — Sozialhilfe 
• Greek — κοινωνική ασφάλιση 
• Italian — previdenza sociale

Does SSI Stand for Anything Else?

Although SSI is most commonly known as Supplemental Security Income, the acronym does stand for a few other things, including:

• Server Side Include
• Small-Scale Integration
• Social Security Income
• Scuba Schools International
• Surgical Site Infection
• Survey Sampling International
• Solid State Imaging
• Small Scale Industries
• Server System Infrastructure
• Social Security Insurance
• Space Studies Institute
• Shoulder Sleeve Insignia
• Single System Image
• Solid State Ignition
• Storage Service Interface
• Sales Satisfaction Index
• Sliding Scale Insulin
• Severe Speech Impairment
• Sight Savers International
• Specialty Skill Identifier
• Standing Signal Instruction
• Safety Significant Item
• Suspect Site Inspection
• Square Spiral Inductor
• Single Source Income
• Safe Sex Initiative
• Space Systems Internetting
• Smoothing Suppression Indicator
• Stores Station Indicator
• Sub-Surface Investigation
• Single-Source Investments

Conclusion

In short, SSI is an acronym that stands for “Supplemental Security Income” and refers to a program that provides cash payments to disabled adults and individuals aged 65 or older who are U.S. citizens or nationals.

If you’re looking to apply for SSI, head on over to SSA.gov where you can fill out an application from the comfort of your own home. Need some help? Give your local Social Security Administration office a visit where you can speak with a live SSI specialist. 

Sources:

SSI – What does SSI stand for? | The Free Dictionary

SSI definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary

Documents You May Need When You Apply for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) | SSA

You May Be Able to Get Supplemental Security Income (SSI) | SSA