Would a disabled person file for SSI or welfare? or both?

If you file a claim for cash benefits with the county welfare office they will require that you file for disability benefits with social security. Not all states pay general assistance anymore and if they do it's very minimal. Social security will determine if you meet the requirements for social security disability, SSI disability or both. You can call 1-800-772-1213 and make an appointment to file for disability benefits either over the phone or in the office. If approved, social security will pay back to the state any general assistance you received before they release the rest of the benefits to you. If you get food stamps there is no pay back involved.

In order to collect disability benefits you must be so severely disabled that you are incapable of working and earning $1070 a month in any type of work activity for at least a year. Social security also considers your age, education and past work experience. They get the medical records and they make the medical decision. It is not a decision made by your doctor.

If you are destitute you should file for welfare which is General Assistance. Benefits are pretty minimal. In my state, New Jersey, a GA grand for a person who is disabled is $210 a month. However, approval is fairly rapid.

You should also file for SSI as the benefit rate is much higher. For a person alone with no other income the Federal Standard Payment Amount is $721 a month. Some states add additional money to that; it is called a state supplement. However, in my state it typically takes 4 months to make a disability decision and nothing is paid until that decision is made.

If you get GA and are approved for SSI your first payment will go to the state and they can take any cash benefits they have paid you.

in some states a disabled person can get some welfare assistance while waiting on SSI/SSDI application to process all the way through

in AL the disabled person would find it difficult to get food stamps because of the 20 hours per week work criteria until SSA determination of disabled --- if the person has children, they might be eligible for some TANF help but only if they are active in a jobs program spending at least 20 hours per week in jobs program activities

in MO the disabled person can get food stamps and @ $100-$150 per month in welfare assistance if the social worker determines they are disabled enough to qualify. Even if the social worker deems disabled enough to qualify that does not mean SSA will agree with that social worker's decision

in MA there is much better support. I know a person there who got rent assistance, utility assistance & full food stamps, and a small amount of spending money while their application was in process

in each of those states... any welfare used while applying for disability must be paid back out of back-pay

Well, if the disabled person can work, they'd get a job.

If they weren't ever able to work, either their parents would have applied for SSI or they would have applied for it when they were of age. That is the federal government's welfare program.

If they worked before becoming disabled and then couldn't work anymore, then they'd apply for SSDI. If their savings dipped below $2000 while waiting to be approved, that's when they go to Welfare. Welfare won't take anyone unless they can show plans to get off Welfare. Welfare told us that they wouldn't have taken us, unless hubby had already applied for SSDI. (He had applied less than a week before.)