Is unemployment considered SSI benefits for my disability application?
I'm really confused about something and hoping someone here can help clear this up. I've been receiving unemployment benefits from NYS Department of Labor for about 2 months now after losing my job, and I'm also in the process of applying for disability through Social Security. My caseworker asked me about all my income sources and I told them about my UI payments. Now they're asking if unemployment is considered SSI or if it affects my disability claim. I honestly don't know the difference between all these programs. Can someone explain if unemployment from NYS Department of Labor counts as SSI or if they're completely separate things? I don't want to mess up my disability application by giving wrong information.
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Yuki Yamamoto
No, unemployment insurance (UI) from NYS Department of Labor is NOT the same as SSI (Supplemental Security Income). These are completely different programs run by different agencies. UI is temporary income replacement when you lose your job and are actively looking for work. SSI is a needs-based program for disabled individuals with limited income and resources. Your unemployment benefits might affect your SSI eligibility amount if approved, but they're not the same program at all.
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Ethan Brown
•Thank you! So when my disability caseworker asks about income, I should list my unemployment as regular income, not as SSI benefits?
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Carmen Ortiz
Yeah they're totally different programs but here's what might be confusing you - if you get approved for SSI disability, you usually have to stop claiming unemployment because SSI requires that you can't work, but unemployment requires that you're able and available for work. It's like contradictory requirements.
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Ethan Brown
•Oh wow, I didn't realize that. So I might have to choose between continuing unemployment or getting disability benefits?
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Andre Rousseau
•Not exactly choose, but the timing matters. If you get approved for disability with a retroactive date, you might have to pay back some unemployment benefits for overlapping periods.
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Zoe Papadakis
this is so confusing!!! i'm dealing with the same thing and nobody at NYS Department of Labor could explain it to me when i called. took forever to get through and they just transferred me around
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Jamal Carter
•I had the same problem trying to reach someone at NYS Department of Labor about this exact question. Finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helps you get through to agents faster. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Saved me hours of calling and getting hung up on.
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AstroAdventurer
The confusion makes sense because both programs involve government payments for people who can't work their regular jobs. But unemployment is for people temporarily out of work who are looking for new jobs, while SSI is for people who can't work due to disability. You can receive unemployment while applying for disability, but if you get approved for disability, you'll need to report that unemployment income to Social Security.
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Mei Liu
•exactly! and make sure you keep good records of all your unemployment payments because social security will want documentation of everything
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