Can I collect SSI while waiting (5 months) for my SSDI payments to begin?

Hi,

Potentially, yes. I'm not sure if by SSI you are referring to Supplemental Security Income or Social Security retirement benefits, though. Social Security uses the abbreviation SSI to refer to Supplemental Security Income, which is a needs based benefit that they administer. In order to qualify for SSI payments, you'd need to meet the income and resource limits to be able to collect those benefits (https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/ssi/).

However, some people mistakenly use SSI to refer to Social Security retirement benefits. Social Security uses the abbreviation RIB (i.e. retirement insurance benefits) to refer to those benefits. To qualify for Social Security retirement benefits you'd need to be at least age 62, and if you choose to collect retirement benefits prior to your full retirement age (FRA) your benefit rate would be reduced for age. However, if you are subsequently approved for Social Security disability (SSDI) benefits after you start out drawing reduced retirement benefits, your benefit rate would be adjusted to remove any reduction for age that was initially applied for any months that you ended up qualifying for SSDI benefits. Your ongoing benefit rate would then only be reduced for the number of months, if any, for which you were paid reduced retirement benefits prior to your initial month of SSDI entitlement.

Best, Jerry