Social Security: 10 States Where SSI Disability Checks Go Furthest

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Although Social Security is best known as a retirement benefits program, it also offers Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). As with retirement checks, the financial boost you get from SSI and SSDI checks is greatly influenced by where you live.

The SSI program provides a monthly payment to adults and children with a disability or blindness and resources below certain financial limits. SSI payments are also made to seniors 65 and older who meet the financial qualifications even if they’re not disabled. You might be eligible for SSI benefits even if you already receive SSDI or retirement benefits.

SSDI benefits are available to working Americans who meet the following criteria, according to the Social Security Administration:

• You must have worked in jobs covered by Social Security.
• You must have a medical condition that meets Social Security’s definition of disability.

Monthly SSDI benefits are typically paid to those who cannot work for a year or more because of a disability. Benefits usually continue until they can work again on a regular basis. Work incentives are also available that provide continued benefits and healthcare coverage to help them make the transition back to work.

Where SSI and SSDI Payments Fail To Cover Expenses

No matter where you live in the United States, SSI and SSDI payments will be the same based on income and other factors. However, the payments themselves will go a lot further in some states than others due to cost-of-living variations.

You probably can’t live comfortably on SSI or SSDI payments alone, regardless of your location. But you can get a bigger financial boost if you live in an affordable state versus an expensive one.

Data from MIT’s Living Wage Calculator found that the income needed to meet the cost of living in many areas of the country is up to three times higher than the income an average SSDI recipient would earn, Kiplinger recently reported.

Kiplinger ran an analysis of where SSDI payments go the furthest based on how those payments relate to the average livable income. It found that there are three states where SSDI covers at least half of someone’s living expenses, with Wyoming ranking first at roughly 52%. In contrast, there are six states where SSDI benefits would cover less than 40% of living expenses. In this category, Washington, D.C., ranks lowest with the average SSDI benefit covering only 30% of living expenses.

Here’s a look at the 10 states where SSI benefits go the furthest as a percentage of livable wages:

On the other end of the spectrum, the District of Columbia provides the least boost from SSI benefits, at 21% of livable wages. Here are the bottom five states:

• New York: 21.1%
• Hawaii: 22.1%
• Massachusetts: 22.2%
• California: 22.2%
• New Jersey: 23.6%

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