I receive 997.00 a mo ssi job injury 6 years ago, I turn 62 this month. when I applied for benefits I learned my retirement was 1,600.00 a mo I was ruled permanently disabled. will my benefits increase under ssdi

Hi,

I'm sorry, but I can't answer that question without more information. First of all, I'm not clear on what kind of benefit you're currently receiving. If it's Supplemental Security Income (SSI), then that benefit would stop if you become eligible for a Social Security benefit that's higher than your SSI benefit. However, if what you're currently receiving is Workers Compensation (WC) or a Public Disability Benefit (PDB) like the State Disability Insurance (SDI) program in California, then it's possible that your net SSDI payment rate could be lower than your reduced age 62 Social Security retirement benefit. That's due to the WC/PDB offset that can be applied to SSDI benefits (https://www.ssa.gov/OP_Home/handbook/handbook.05/handbook-0504.html).

Normally, if you have a choice between drawing Social Security disability benefits (SSDI) or regular Social Security retirement benefits at age 62, it's advantageous to opt for SSDI. That's because SSDI benefits are unreduced, so it's like drawing your full retirement age rate sooner. On the other hand, Social Security retirement benefits are reduced by between 25% to 30% if you start drawing them at age 62. But, in some cases a person's SSDI payment can be reduced by even more than 30% if they're subject to WC/PDB offset.

You may want to either try discussing your situation with a Social Security representative, preferably a technical expert, or using our maximization software to explore and compare your options. In almost all cases it's beneficial to file for SSDI even if your benefit rate would be reduced due to WC/PDB offset. That's because you could still opt to draw a reduced retirement benefit instead of SSDI if you're entitled to both benefits and the reduced retirement rate is higher. And, even if you are only technically entitled to SSDI while drawing reduced retirement benefits, it could result in a higher benefit rate once you reach your full retirement age (FRA).

Best, Jerry