Can You Increase Social Security Disability Payments?
If you are disabled and you receive benefits from the Social Security Administration, those benefits are probably an important source of financial support for your family. It’s understandable then, that you probably want to do everything you can to preserve your right to continue receiving those benefits and even increase the benefit amount if possible. This leads to a question we’re often asked – namely, can Social Security disability payments be increased and if so, how? Let’s take a closer look at the law together.
Cost of Living Adjustments
Each year, the Social Security Administration adjusts benefit payment amounts by making what is known as a “cost-of-living adjustment”, or COLA for short. The goal of this adjustment is essentially for the benefit payments to keep pace with inflation and associated increases in the cost-of-living from year to year.
Although the cost-of-living calculation method can be complicated, it is essentially based on the consumer price index (CPI) which is the official measure of inflation used by the United States government.
Although the cost-of-living adjustment is not extremely large each year, it eventually adds up to a helpful increase over time. For example, in 2025 the maximum monthly SSDI amount an individual could receive each month was $4,018 and in 2026, that amount is $4,152. As for SSI benefits, in 2025 the maximum monthly SSI amount was $967 for an individual and $1,450 for a couple. In 2026, the maximum SSI amounts are $994 for an individual and $1,491 per couple.
Correcting Earnings Records
As you may know, the Social Security Administration provides two types of disability benefits. These include:
- Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)
- Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
While both types of benefits require that an applicant have a disabling medical condition that has caused them to be unable to work for one continuous calendar year or more, they are different in that SSDI benefits are intended for individuals who are “insured,” and SSI benefits are intended for individuals who have income and resources below a certain limit established annually by the Social Security Administration.
To be “insured” for the purpose of receiving SSDI benefits, an applicant must have worked for a sufficient length of time and regularly paid employment taxes from their salary to the Social Security Administration. If an individual is awarded SSDI benefits, the Social Security Administration will calculate the amount of those benefits based largely upon the individual’s work and earnings history. As a result, it is important to ensure that the work and earnings history reported to the Social Security Administration is correct.
One fairly simple way to increase benefits is to report the correct amount to the Social Security Administration if there is an error. At that point, there should be a re-calculation of benefits, and you should be receiving the increased amount up to the maximum monthly amount allowed.
Apply for “Concurrent Benefits”
In some circumstances, an individual can receive both SSI and SSDI benefits. This is known as receiving “concurrent” benefits. If you receive SSDI benefits and you are still below the annual limit for income and resources established by the Social Security Administration, you may be able to seek SSI benefits as well. Consulting with an attorney regarding your particular situation and whether this would be a good option for you is always advised.
Although it’s understandable to want to increase your benefit amount if possible, it is also important to keep in mind that benefit amounts can only be increased up to the maximum monthly limit. Depending on your circumstances, you may have other options available that are worth considering to increase your benefit amount. Consulting with an attorney regarding your particular situation is always a smart idea.
Change of Life Circumstances
It’s also important to know that there may be a few life changes that ultimately increase your amount of benefits. Some of these include:
- Death of a spouse
- Reaching retirement age
- Taking care of a disabled child
- A variety of other circumstances depending on your situation
Depending on which of these changes might apply in your life, you may receive an increase in benefits. Talking with your attorney regarding your life circumstances and how they might affect earnings can be very helpful.
Call American Disability Action Group Today
If you are struggling with a disability, and you are feeling overwhelmed and frustrated, wondering if you’re doing all you can to preserve and protect the benefits you need, you should know that those feelings are understandable. At American Disability Action Group, we understand the struggles of our clients because we listen to their stories. We know that being disabled is challenging in so many ways, and that is why we are passionate about doing all we can to help our clients during this difficult time. If you’re ready to take the first step today, give us a call. We look forward to helping you soon.
Sources
- Overview of Disability Benefit Programs: https://www.ssa.gov/redbook/eng/overview-disability.htm
- Concurrent Benefits: https://www.ssa.gov/redbook/eng/supportsexample.htm
- Disability Benefit Calculations: https://www.ssa.gov/disability/amount