You can get financial help you seriously need from Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits if you can’t work because of health problems and don’t have much savings.
We all know life isn’t always perfect. When you haven’t been able to work much, or at all, or you haven’t worked in a long time, SSI benefits can provide a boost in security and stability for you.
SSI benefits pay monthly checks to help with your crucial expenses and in most cases with continued access to Medicaid for your health care needs.
The trouble is that benefits can be awfully hard to get. For kind, caring and capable support, talk to the Chicago SSI lawyers at Nash Disability Law.
Supplemental Security Income is a disability benefits program run by the Social Security Administration (SSA). On this page, we’ll guide you through how it works.
Nash Disability Law helps people win Social Security Disability benefits, including SSI. We’re a top team of disability lawyers based in Illinois and serving Chicagoland.
Our offices are in Chicago and Palos Hills, and we help people all across the Chicago area, from Waukegan to Joliet, to Naperville, Elgin, Schaumburg and more.
WE’VE HELPED MORE PEOPLE IN THE CHICAGO AREA WIN BENEFITS THAN ANY OTHER LAW FIRM.
Talk to Nash Disability Law about SSI.
CONTACT US TODAY TO TAlk about
YOUR disability case!
One of the first questions you’re likely to have for any SSI disability lawyer in Chicago is probably whether you have a strong case for benefits.
So, we’ll walk you through it. There are two sides to qualifying for SSI in Chicago:
When it comes to your health, you have to meet these requirements for SSI:
You must also meet the financial requirements for SSI:
The value of the resources you have that are counted for SSI is strictly limited for you to qualify for benefits:
You don’t have to guess whether you’ll qualify for SSI. It’s free to talk to our Supplemental Security Income lawyers at Nash Disability Law in Chicago for an evaluation of your case for benefits.
Our team of experienced lawyers and paralegals can also help determine what evidence is most important in proving your case. This may include medical records, doctor opinions, and financial statements. And we help you fill out forms mistake-free.
Get a free SSI disability case consultation from Nash.
People often say “SSI” as short for disability benefits in general. But officially SSI is one of two disability programs run by Social Security.
The other one is called Social Security Disability Income (SSDI).
The medical requirements are the same for SSI and SSDI, but for SSDI you must have a qualifying recent work history of paying Social Security taxes to get benefits. In contrast, you don’t need a record of work experience for SSI.
Here’s how our Chicago disability attorneys break down the differences in SSI vs. SSDI:
SSDI: You must have worked and paid a qualifying amount in Social Security taxes recently to be covered.
SSI: You don’t need a work background or Social Security tax record.
SSDI: You’re not currently working more than what Social Security calls “substantial gainful activity” or SGA. (In 2025, that was $1,620 per month for non-blind people, $2,700 for people with blindness.)
SSI: You fall under the same SGA limit as SSDI.
SSDI: The monthly checks you receive under SSDI are based on your past income from working and can vary widely but might be more than SSI. (The average SSDI payment in 2025 was $1,580 per month).
SSI: Monthly checks from SSI are limited for everyone by a single number from the government, but can be reduced further to offset other sources of money you have, like other kinds of benefits. (In 2025, the maximum SSI payment was $967 for an individual and $1,450 for a couple.)
SSDI: With SSDI benefits, you can also qualify for Medicare health coverage even before you’re the usual age for Medicare, but after a waiting period from when you’re first eligible for disability benefits.
SSI: When you’re approved for SSI, you can continue your health coverage through Medicaid, but you will not qualify for early Medicare.
Sometimes, it can be hard to know whether to apply for SSI, SSDI or both. (It is possible to apply for both.)
For example, if you worked and could qualify for SSDI because of your work background, but your income was low enough that your monthly SSDI payment would turn out lower than SSI’s maximum benefit amount in your state, you may receive SSI.
You may receive SSDI if you have a qualifying work record and then you receive money from a source other than working, such as an inheritance or insurance settlement, which puts you over the limit of resources you can have in the bank for SSI.
It gets confusing. An experienced SSI disability lawyer helps you find the clearest path to the best option for you.
When you’re talking about SSI, it’s important to note that another key form of SSI exists for children.
Nash’s Chicago SSI lawyers help families apply for childhood SSI all the time. Not all law firms help with childhood SSI cases, but we do.
Children’s SSI is for children with disabilities whose families meet the SSI financial requirements.
These benefits can be a great help to parents and caregivers, helping cover some of the expenses of a child with special needs, including therapy, equipment, learning programs and more.
Children aren’t expected to have worked, so the qualifications for childhood SSI don’t hinge on ability to work like adult disability benefits.
Instead, children’s SSI has these qualifications:
Like with all disability benefits, you have to prove your child qualifies for childhood SSI using information, evidence and arguments.
If you have a child with disabilities, and your household finances are strained, talk to Nash Disability Law about getting SSI for children.
Like we said, most first-time applications for Supplemental Security Income are denied.
Social Security is always trying to stop people who don’t qualify from getting benefits, so they created thousands of rules to put your claim through.
They’ll likely deny you, which then requires you to appeal and submit more evidence and arguments to back up your SSI claim.
Getting denied for SSI can feel like a deeply disappointing rejection, but it’s a normal part of the process. You often get a better chance of approval when you appeal the denial.
An SSI denial attorney in Chicago can handle this for you. And just like when you first applied for SSI benefits, you still pay no attorney fee until you win.
These are the steps your SSI appeal lawyer may take you through:
Appealing adds months and sometimes years to your case before you win benefits, but in many cases, you can receive backpay for the months you waited to be approved.
So refusing to give up and continuing your fight for benefits may be the best thing you can do.
The process is hard, but in the end the economic cushion you could get from SSI benefits could make your life easier for years to come.
When you’re trying to get SSI disability benefits, you can find large national companies who say they help. Why should you work with a local disability law firm like Nash?
Part of the answer is that the Chicago SSI lawyers and SSI appeal lawyers at Nash know the local offices and resources for getting disability benefits.
It makes a difference because Social Security offices and Social Security Disability judges operate a little differently in different places.
The Nash Chicago SSI attorneys work with the local Social Security officials around Chicagoland every day. A big out-of-town company may not have that local knowledge.
For example, our SSI attorneys regularly attend hearings for our clients with judges from local disability hearing offices in Chicago, Evanston, Oak Brook and Orland Park.
From the time you ask for a hearing to when you reach a judge in one of those offices, it can take seven months or longer according to Social Security numbers from 2025.
After hearings take place, the disability judges in the Chicago area offices approve benefits at different rates—from 47% to 58% of the time as of 2025.
We know what the disability judges look for. And with a representative like a lawyer, government numbers have shown your chances of winning benefits after a hearing can be three times better than people without help.
Results are vital. But there’s a deeper reason to get a local, Chicago SSI lawyer when you live in Chicago or the suburbs.
This is a highly personal and sensitive situation. A local lawyer is more likely to give you the time, attention and care you deserve in a process that can feel uncaring.
At Nash Disability Law…
To your Chicago SSI attorney from Nash, you’re a neighbor, not a number.
Contact us for help with your SSI claim anywhere across Chicagoland.
Picking an SSI disability lawyer is a big decision with potentially big effects on your finances and future.
When you’re making a decision like this, you want to know what the experience was like for other people who worked with a disability lawyer in a situation like yours.
Nash Disability Law has hundreds of reviews on Google from past clients who gave a combined rating of 4.5 stars.
These are just a few of their stories.
The Struggle to Deal with Health Issues and Disability Benefits
Irene C. found it difficult to concentrate on a disability application as she struggled with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, back problems and mental health.
“Nash was very understanding,” she said. “My attorney…knew exactly how to defend me, and I will forever be grateful.”
Getting Someone by Your Side in a Tough Process
Lesley P. found that dealing with Social Security is hard, but that bringing in Nash made it easier.
“The staff and attorneys at Nash are helpful, patient and persistent,” she said. “Nash helped every step of the way…Having peace of mind and someone by your side to help navigate this process is priceless.”
Support When You Need to See a Disability Judge
Tom R. said his Nash disability lawyer did a “magnificent job” preparing him for his disability hearing. The hearing itself took about 45 minutes by phone. His lawyer guided him through the process.
About two weeks later, Tom was approved for benefits.
“They handled everything,” he said about Nash. “I could not be happier with the support Nash provided me and would definitely use them again.”
For your SSI disability claim, contact Nash now.
Thank you so very much for your help with my disability claim. Please thank each and everyone who helped in getting this done. Every time I had questions and had to call you for advice, whomever I spoke with at the time was very helpful and polite and most of all caring. Once again, Mr. Nash, thank you so very much.
Thank you for all your help with my disability case. I felt very confident after discussing my claim with your attorneys. The representation I had for my court date was wonderful. I know I couldn’t have done all that you did on my own . I am very appreciative for all the hard work, time and care you gave to me!
