SSI Lawyers

A disabling medical condition can make it difficult or impossible to maintain steady work. For people with limited income and financial resources, losing income can create immediate pressure on housing, medical expenses, and other basic needs. Supplemental Security Income can provide monthly financial assistance to eligible people, but receiving SSI requires more than financial hardship or a medical diagnosis.

The Social Security Administration’s Supplemental Security Income program applies federal financial and disability rules to SSI claims. SSA may examine income, resources, living arrangements, medical records, symptoms, treatment history, and the functional effects of physical or mental conditions.

Our SSI lawyers represent claimants through the Social Security disability process, from the initial application through Administrative Law Judge hearings and higher levels of review. Our legal team works with Social Security claimants across the country.

Call Key Disability at (800) 975-1866 or fill out our consultation form for a free case evaluation. We can review where your SSI claim stands, explain the federal requirements that apply, and discuss how our team can help.

Supplemental Security Income, or SSI, is a federal program administered by the Social Security Administration. Under SSA’s SSI eligibility requirements, eligible applicants generally must have limited income and resources and be disabled, blind, or age 65 or older. Citizenship, qualifying noncitizen status, and residency requirements also apply.

SSI differs from Social Security Disability Insurance. SSDI generally depends on a worker having enough qualifying work history under Social Security. SSI does not require Social Security work credits. Instead, SSI uses financial eligibility requirements along with disability requirements for people applying based on disability.

The two programs can overlap. SSA recognizes concurrent claims in which a person qualifies for both SSI and SSDI.

Countable resources generally cannot exceed $2,000 for an individual or $3,000 for a couple. SSA does not count everything a person owns. Its SSI resource rules explain which resources may count and how resources belonging to certain spouses or parents can affect eligibility.

SSI eligibility and payment amounts depend in part on income. SSA considers your own income and may also count income from a spouse or parent. Certain income is excluded, while countable income can reduce the amount of SSI you receive.

In 2026, the maximum SSI payment is $994 per month for one person and $1,491 for a couple. If you have countable income, your payment may be less.

Adults seeking SSI because of a disability must satisfy the program’s nonmedical eligibility requirements and SSA’s federal disability standard.

Under 20 C.F.R. § 416.905, disability generally means an inability to perform substantial gainful activity because of a medically determinable physical or mental impairment that is expected to result in death or has lasted, or is expected to last, for at least 12 continuous months.

A diagnosis alone does not establish disability under SSA rules. For adults, the Social Security Administration uses a five-step sequential evaluation:

• Current work activity: SSA first considers whether the claimant is performing substantial gainful activity. A claimant performing SGA generally will not qualify as disabled at this stage.
• Severity of the impairment: SSA determines whether the claimant has a severe medically determinable impairment, or combination of impairments, that satisfies the duration requirement.
• Listed impairments: SSA considers whether the impairment meets or medically equals the criteria of a condition in its Listing of Impairments. Meeting or equaling an applicable listing can establish disability at this step.
• Past relevant work: If the claim continues, SSA assesses residual functional capacity and considers whether the claimant can perform past relevant work.
• Other work: At the final step, SSA considers residual functional capacity along with age, education, and work experience to determine whether the claimant can adjust to other work.

SSA must follow these steps in sequence unless one of its regulatory exceptions applies.

Children may also qualify for SSI based on disability, but SSA applies a different framework. Under 20 C.F.R. § 416.924, the agency considers whether a child’s medically determinable impairment or combination of impairments causes marked and severe functional limitations and satisfies the applicable duration rule.

Medical documentation gives Social Security the factual record it needs to evaluate a disability claim. SSA does not establish a medically determinable impairment from symptoms or a diagnosis alone.

Under 20 C.F.R. § 416.921, objective medical evidence from an acceptable medical source must establish the existence of a medically determinable physical or mental impairment. SSA then evaluates the severity and functional effects of the established condition.

The record may contain treatment notes, diagnostic testing, imaging, mental health records, medication history, hospital records, and other medical documentation. Different types of evidence can show how a condition developed, how it responded to treatment, and how it affects daily and work-related functioning.

For adult claims that reach later stages, SSA evaluates residual functional capacity. This means what a claimant can still do despite their limitations. SSA makes this decision based on the evidence in the case and considers physical, mental, sensory, and other work-related abilities.

A medical condition may affect sitting, standing, walking, lifting, concentration, memory, social interaction, persistence, or other abilities used in a work setting. The significance of those limitations depends on the evidence and the stage of SSA’s evaluation.

Our attorneys and support staff review the record, identify evidentiary issues, obtain available documentation, and develop the disability claim within SSA’s evidentiary framework.

SSI claims can be based on physical conditions, mental health issues, developmental disabilities, neurocognitive disorders, or a combination of these.

SSA’s Listing of Impairments covers many physical and mental conditions. You do not have to meet a specific listing to qualify. If your claim does not end at step three, Social Security will look at what you can still do and whether you can work.

Symptoms such as pain may also enter the analysis after SSA establishes a medically determinable impairment that could reasonably produce the alleged symptoms. The agency then evaluates the intensity and persistence of the symptoms and how they limit functioning under its federal rules.

Having more than one condition can also affect the disability decision. SSA must consider how these combined conditions affect a person when applying the rules.

Mental health conditions may affect concentration, memory, adaptation, social interaction, persistence, and other work-related functions. Physical conditions may affect exertional or nonexertional abilities. The medical evidence and other relevant information determine how SSA evaluates those limitations in an individual claim.

Our legal team has experience handling Social Security disability cases involving a broad range of physical and mental conditions, including developmental and neurocognitive impairments.

SSI and Social Security Disability Insurance are separate federal programs even though both can provide benefits based on disability.

SSDI is an insurance program tied to a qualifying Social Security earnings record. Workers earn credits through covered work, and eligibility generally depends on whether the claimant has sufficient qualifying work history.

SSI is a needs-based program. A claimant does not need Social Security work credits, but income and resources can affect eligibility and the monthly payment amount.

This distinction can affect people who worked intermittently, stopped working years ago, developed a disability early in life, or lack enough qualifying work history for SSDI.

Some claimants qualify under both programs. SSA calls this concurrent eligibility. A Social Security disability attorney can examine the medical evidence, work history, financial requirements, and other eligibility criteria that apply to each potential claim.

An SSI disability application involves both nonmedical and medical review.

According to SSA’s Disability Determination Process, a Social Security field office verifies nonmedical eligibility requirements and sends the disability claim to a state Disability Determination Services agency for medical evaluation. DDS develops medical evidence and makes the initial determination about whether the claimant is disabled or blind under federal law.

DDS generally seeks evidence from the claimant’s medical sources first. If the evidence is unavailable or insufficient to make a disability determination, DDS may arrange a consultative examination to obtain additional information.

The application process can involve records from several healthcare providers, employment information, financial documentation, and information about daily functioning. Additionally, SSI requires continuing attention to nonmedical factors such as income, resources, and living arrangements.

Our legal team can assist with an initial claim by organizing application information, obtaining medical records, reviewing the evidence, and developing the claim under SSA standards.

Early representation also gives our team time to review the medical and vocational record before an appeal becomes necessary.

An initial denial does not necessarily end an SSI disability claim. SSA provides several levels of administrative and judicial review.

The SSI appeals process generally begins with reconsideration. A claimant who disagrees with the reconsideration determination may request a hearing. Further review may be available through the Appeals Council and then federal district court.

Deadlines apply at each stage. A claimant generally has 60 days after receiving an initial determination to request reconsideration. SSA also generally provides 60 days after receiving the reconsideration determination to request a hearing and 60 days after receiving the hearing decision or order to request Appeals Council review.

Reconsideration means asking Social Security to look at your case again. For disability claims, a new examiner reviews your request and your original application.

SSA’s reconsideration procedures require a disability or nonmedical reconsideration request within 60 days of receiving the decision.

The administrative record may also change as updated medical information becomes available during the appeals process.

A claimant who disagrees with a reconsideration determination can request a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge.

At a disability hearing, the ALJ may question the claimant and other witnesses. SSA may also use medical or vocational experts to provide evidence when appropriate. Its hearing process is part of the agency’s administrative review system.

Our attorneys prepare for disability hearings by reviewing the record, identifying the issues before the judge, preparing clients for testimony, and addressing medical and vocational evidence.

A claimant who disagrees with an ALJ decision can ask the Appeals Council to review it. The Appeals Council review process generally requires a request within 60 days after the claimant receives the hearing decision.

The Appeals Council may deny review. If it grants review, it may issue its own decision or return the case to an Administrative Law Judge for further proceedings.

Federal court may become available after Appeals Council action. SSA states that when the Appeals Council denies review or issues an unfavorable decision, a claimant may generally file a civil action in a U.S. District Court within 60 days after receiving notice of the Council’s action. 42 U.S.C. § 1383(c)(3) provides for judicial review of qualifying final SSI decisions.

Our representation can continue through Appeals Council review and eligible federal court proceedings.

Social Security disability claims depend heavily on evidence. Medical documentation, symptoms, functional limitations, employment history, and SSA’s federal rules can all affect the agency’s analysis.

Our attorneys review the claim as a complete record. Depending on the case, our work may include examining treatment history, gathering medical records, identifying missing documentation, analyzing past work, preparing clients for testimony, and addressing issues raised in earlier Social Security decisions.

Different parts of the record can provide context for each other. Medical documentation may show the development and treatment of a condition. Employment history describes the demands of past work. Functional evidence can help show how established impairments affect the ability to perform work activities.

That preparation continues through the appeals process. Before a disability hearing, our team works to understand the medical and vocational record and the questions the Administrative Law Judge may need to decide.

Clients work with attorneys and support staff focused on Social Security disability claims. Our structure allows the team to continue developing the case as it moves through different stages of administrative review.

People pursuing SSI often have limited financial resources, so the cost of legal representation can be an immediate concern.

SSA regulates representative fees. Under the current SSA fee agreement process, a qualifying fee agreement generally cannot provide for more than the lesser of 25 percent of past-due benefits or the applicable federal fee cap. The current maximum under that process is $9,200 for favorable decisions issued on or after November 30, 2024.

SSA must approve or otherwise authorize fees charged for representation before the agency. Different procedures can apply when a case does not qualify for the standard fee agreement process or when attorney services involve federal court proceedings.

Key Disability handles Social Security disability claims under fee arrangements subject to SSA rules and the terms of the representation agreement. A free consultation allows potential clients to discuss representation and the applicable fee structure before deciding whether to hire the firm.

Social Security Disability law is central to our practice. Our team handles claims from initial applications through administrative appeals and qualifying federal court proceedings.

We work with disability claims involving physical impairments, mental health conditions, developmental disabilities, and neurocognitive disorders. Our attorneys also have substantial experience with Administrative Law Judge hearings and Social Security claims involving people across multiple states.

Clients work with a legal team instead of relying on a single point of contact for every part of the claim. Attorneys and support staff can assist with medical records, claim development, hearing preparation, and the administrative steps that arise as a case progresses.

Some of our team members have experience helping employees in workplace disputes. This helps us understand job records and work demands, which can matter when Social Security reviews your past work and abilities.

We are prepared to remain involved as a disability claim moves from one level of review to the next.

An SSI disability claim involves financial eligibility, medical evidence, functional limitations, and federal administrative procedures. A denial can also lead to several levels of review, each with its own requirements and deadlines.

Key Disability represents Social Security claimants nationwide and handles disability claims from initial applications through hearings and higher levels of appeal.

Call Key Disability at (800) 975-1866 or contact us online for a free consultation. Our SSI lawyers can review your claim and discuss how our legal team may assist with an application or appeal.