Social Security Programs

• The U.S. Social Security Administration administers benefit programs for disabled people and also manages the program that assists people affected by unemployment. The Social Security Administration runs two separate disability benefit programs known as the Supplemental Security Income, or SSI Program and the Social Security Disability Income Program, or SSDI. Financial need as well as physical capacity determine eligibility for the SSI Program, while physical capacity and past work history determine eligibility for SSDI benefits. In effect, two of the three programs --- SSDI and unemployment -- receive funding through employee payroll tax deductions made during a person's time in the workforce.
  
  

Substantial Gainful Activity

• Social Security guidelines set a certain limit on the amount of money a person can earn and still qualify for disability benefits. In terms of a person's ability to earn a living, substantial gainful activity refers to earnings amounts over and above this limit. As of 2011, SSI and SSDI recipients earning less than $1,000 a month can remain eligible for disability benefits, according to Social Security Online. This means an SSI/ SSDI recipient who loses his job can apply for unemployment benefits without placing his disability status at risk. And while the Social Security Administration manages the funding for unemployment benefits, individual state governments set the rules and guidelines for each state's program. In effect, SSI/ SSDI recipients must qualify under their state's guidelines in order to receive unemployment benefits.
  
  

SSDI & Unemployment Benefits

• Disabling conditions can result from injuries or accidents, both on and off the job as well as from chronic disease-type conditions. Someone who has reason to believe that her physical condition may at some point prevent her from earning a living can apply for disability benefits. If at some point job loss occurs due to a physical condition, eligibility for unemployment benefits remains intact even in cases where a person has already applied for disability benefits. People applying for SSDI must also have substantial medical documentation that backs up their claim for benefits. The sooner a person applies for SSDI the better since the application date may determine when benefits start. Since SSDI benefit amounts go by a person's past work history and payroll contributions, benefit amounts remain unaffected in cases where a person receives unemployment compensation.
  
  

SSI & Unemployment Benefits

• Unlike the guidelines for Social Security Disability Income, other benefit entitlements do affect a person's benefit allotment for Supplemental Security Income. As eligibility for SSI benefits relies as much on financial need as on physical disability, someone receiving unemployment benefits on top of SSI disability will see a $1 reduction in SSI cash amounts for every $1 of unemployment benefits received, according to the LSNJ Law reference site. The Social Security Administration also requires SSI benefit recipients to apply for any and all benefit programs where a possible eligibility exists. In effect, Social Security may require an SSI recipient to apply for unemployment benefits in cases where some level of work capacity exists.