Social Security Disability Insurance is one of the main types of aid that you can seek if you have a spinal cord injury, but is it the only one that you need in Florida? Are there other types of aid that you can apply for to help you out as well?
One other option is Supplemental Security Income, which is commonly referred to as SSI. You may want to apply for this as well. Don’t worry about one cancelling out the other. You may be eligible for just SSI, for just SSDI or for some combination of both of them. There is nothing to lose by applying for both.
Now, you may be thinking of starting a lawsuit to cover the medical costs from the injury. While this could be useful, remember that you may have more costs that go beyond the initial medical bills. You could be unable to work, meaning your income is entirely erased. The Social Security payments may be able to help you get wages each month so that you can pay your other bills.
One of the biggest differences between SSDI and SSI is the impact of your work history. For SSDI, you need to have put in a substantial amount of work in advance, and the injury then has to make it so that you can’t continue to do that work. For SSI, your work history is not going to be taken into account. Therefore, it can be useful for those who are over 65 and have retired.
Make sure that you know about all of your possible options for financial assistance after an injury.
Source: Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, “When should I apply for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income?,” accessed April. 07, 2015