Which Social Security Disability Benefit Could You Get?
When your health won’t let you work, your world feels upside down. Maybe you suffered an injury or sudden debilitating illness, or you have long struggled with a condition that now makes earning a living impossible.
Social Security Disability benefits exist to help people facing your challenges. The financial relief it brings can ease the strain on your everyday life as you wrestle with a major health crisis.
There are two main disability programs under Social Security, and it can be difficult to figure out which one is the best option for you: SSDI vs. SSI.
The Texas disability lawyers at Morgan Weisbrod can help you make the right choice and secure all-important benefits.
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) helps people who have worked for years before they got sick and paid Social Security taxes through their paychecks.
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) helps people who have never been able to work, or not in a long time, and have few resources available to them.
Either program can be a way to a brighter, more stable life.
But you don’t get benefits by just asking. Social Security requires you to prove you can’t work for at least a year because of health problems. A skilled disability lawyer can look at your case, help you collect evidence, and chart the best way to apply.
When you’re weighing applying for SSDI vs. SSI, our Texas disability attorneys can walk you through your case, look at it from every angle, and guide you to the right path that will secure your future and let you focus on your health.
Morgan Weisbrod is one of the top law firms in Texas in terms of benefits won for our clients, and we can be there for you, every step of the way.
Do I Qualify for SSDI Benefits in Texas?
Everyone who has earned a paycheck and paid substantial Social Security taxes becomes eligible for SSDI.
Collectively, these funds help support millions of Americans whose working lives are suddenly upended by health problems. That’s why “insurance” is right there in SSDI’s name.
But the key to winning those benefits is more complicated. Whether you qualify, and how much you can receive in monthly checks from SSDI, depends on how long you worked and how much you earned before you got sick or hurt.
To qualify for SSDI, you must earn work credits. Social Security grants you a credit (as of 2025 for every $1,810 you earn, and you can receive a maximum of 4 credits a year. In other words, if you earn $7,240 or more in a year, you get 4 credits for that year.
How many credits you need to qualify depends on how old you were when your disability began. In general, the younger you are, the fewer credits you will need.
How many credits you have won’t impact your monthly benefit amount—that’s determined by your average lifetime earnings before you had to stop working. Top earners can receive as much as $4,000 a month in SSDI, but the average is closer to $1,580.
When you qualify for SSDI, you also gain access to Medicare health coverage before you reach retirement age. This can be a lifeline when medical bills begin to pile up.
This all may sound promising, but Social Security doesn’t make it easy. The application process is long and hard, and administrators will look for any little mistake to deny a claim. That’s why two thirds of first-time applicants in Texas are denied.
The disability benefits team at Morgan Weisbrod gives you a proven advantage when pursuing Social Security benefits.
Do I Qualify for SSI Benefits in Texas?
Supplemental Security Income is a safety net that in 2025 helped more than half a million Texans, most of whom face lifelong medical conditions.
Under SSI, you receive a monthly check to help with your daily expenses, and in Texas you are automatically enrolled in Medicaid. It’s vital for people who face mounting medical bills.
Because SSI is for people who haven’t worked in a long time or at all, its benefits are not based on your work history.
Instead, it’s a fixed monthly payment set by Social Security for everyone. This is a major difference between SSI and SSDI.
SSI’s payment amounts generally increase every year to account for increases in the cost of living. For 2026, individuals can receive $994 a month. Eligible couples can receive as much as $1,491.
Social Security reduces these amounts based on other sources of income you may have, such as pensions, other forms of government benefits, or aid someone else gives you.
To qualify for SSI with a disability, you must prove that your condition won’t allow you to work for at least a year.
You must also show that you have limited access to resources, which include cash in your bank account and things you own, such as a vehicle. For individuals, these cannot be more than $2,000 or $3,000 for couples.
It’s a lot to process all this on your own. You don’t have to. The Texas disability lawyers at Morgan Weisbrod help people just like you every day to secure the benefits they need to live a fuller, more stable life.
When you’re facing the struggles of disability and trying to decide between SSDI or SSI, we can answer your questions and help you get to a happier situation.
by Paul B. Burkhalter Managing Partner of Morgan Weisbrod, Board Certified in Social Security Disability Law.
Free Offer
