Wisconsin Disability Benefits: How Much Is Disability in Wisconsin?

Important: We updated this article in October 2025 after fact checking against current state and Social Security Administration (SSA) data. Nearly six million people live in Wisconsin, and about 50% of those aged 18-64 live with some kind of disability. Yet just 4% of the state’s residents received Social Security disability cash benefits in December 2024. If you’re just now learning what types of disability benefits may be available, you probably have some questions. How much is disability in Wisconsin? Can you get benefits from all three programs at once? And how can you get affordable health insurance if you can’t work, are unmarried, or not yet 65? Our WI disability benefits guide below explains it all.

Disability Payment Amounts for Wisconsin Residents: Key Takeaways

• The Social Security Administration (SSA) manages two federal disability programs that pay cash benefits in WI. Eligible disabled teachers and state employees may also qualify for public benefits from the Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) program.
• How much money you’ll qualify for depends entirely on which program awards you monthly payments. In some cases, your past work income determines your benefit pay rate. Other programs pay a set dollar amount every month, regardless of your health or work history.
• Each program has its own unique eligibility requirements, but medical criteria for judging who’s too disabled to work are essentially identical.
• The closer you are to your normal retirement age, the better your chances for benefit approval. However, it’s also possible to be too old to qualify for Social Security disability from one federal program (SSDI).
• You’re 3x more likely to get Social Security disability if a legal professional helps you apply for free. Currently, just 37% of WI disability claims are successful, and 80% of those have lawyers.
• On average, the SSA denies 7 in 10 disability claims nationwide (70%). Less than 1 in 5 people who apply usually get benefits approved on their first try (19%).

How Many Different Programs Pay Wisconsin Disability Benefits?

You may qualify for monthly cash benefits from one of three different government programs. The Social Security Administration manages the first two federal programs listed below. The third program is exclusively for disabled public employees, which includes both local government workers and teachers in America’s Dairyland:

1. Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)
2. Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
3. WRS Employee Disability Retirement Benefits

Federal Program #1: Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)

SSDI offers federal disability benefits to covered workers aged 18-66 who qualify and their eligible dependents. How much is WI disability from the SSDI program? It pays the maximum amount you can receive in Social Security benefits before you turn 67 years old. The money for SSDI payments comes from the Social Security Trust Fund that most workers pay into with their payroll taxes.

Basic Eligibility Rules for Social Security Disability Insurance Payments

There are plenty of technical requirements to qualify for SSDI that have nothing to do with your health. Here’s what you must show on your claim to get payments from this program:

• You have enough Social Security work credits earned in jobs covered by federal disability insurance. This means you worked in jobs where you paid Social Security taxes for at least 5 years out of the past decade. You may also see these payroll deductions listed as “FICA taxes” on your w-2 at tax time.
• Your doctor says you’re unable to work in any job you’re qualified to do for at least 12 months due to a medical condition. Major surgery, cancer, or pregnancy usually aren’t serious or long-lasting enough to qualify for SSDI. You must prove that a permanent disability or terminal illness forces you to stop working for more than a year.
• You’re younger than 67 and not drawing any other Social Security benefits from the SSA. These can include things like regular Social Security, early retirement, or other RSDI benefits for survivors or dependents. SSDI benefits automatically convert into Social Security retirement payments after your 67th birthday. That means it’s impossible (and illegal) to draw both SSDI disability and Social Security retirement payments.
• Your individual monthly income is no more than $1,620 if you’re sighted, or $2,700 if you’re blind. This amount is called “substantial gainful activity” and disqualifies you from drawing SSDI income. The SSA doesn’t look at your spouse, roommate, or anyone else’s income when reviewing your SSDI claim.

How Long Will It Take To Get My First SSDI Payment?

Six months after your application date is the soonest it’s possible to get your first SSDI check. Nationwide, it currently takes 209 days for the SSA to review an initial SSDI claim (a little less than 8 months). Part of this is because federal law says they must enforce the program’s five-month mandatory waiting period. Unfortunately, many disabled Wisconsin residents wait more than two years for their first SSDI payment. That’s because they get denied benefits twice, then finally win on appeal after pleading their case before an administrative law judge. Having a lawyer file your SSDI claim makes you almost 3x more likely to get benefits paid within 180 days. Plus, a lawyer can’t charge you any fees until after the SSA awards you benefits. In September 2025, SSDI applications for Wisconsin disability benefits took 743 days to process, on average.

Right now, the SSA turns down 4 in 5 first-time SSDI applicants (81%). If that happens, you have 60 days to appeal. Every applicant can appeal a denied SSDI claim four times before they’re forced to re-apply. Reconsideration is the first appeal stage, and it adds another 248 days to your wait time. At this stage, about 2% of appeals succeed. If denied again, you can request an appeals hearing to plead your case. How long that stage takes depends entirely on where you live. In Madison, you’ll wait about 8 months for your court date. In Milwaukee, you’ll wait even longer — about 9 months, on average.

How Much is Disability in Wisconsin from the SSDI Program?

The SSDI program’s maximum monthly payment in 2025 is $4,018. To get that amount, you’ll need to earn more than $1760,000 annually for 10+ years before you stop working. Nationwide, disabled workers currently receive $1,580 in monthly SSDI benefits, on average. The only way to increase your pay amount is through an annual cost-of-living-adjustment (COLA).

Can SSDI Benefits Last for Life?

The SSDI program does not pay benefits for life. Instead, you’ll need to prove you still cannot work once every 3, 5, or 7 years. Every so often, you’ll get a letter in the mail asking you to check in with the SSA. If at any time you get well enough to work again, the SSA automatically stops your SSDI benefits. This continues until you turn 67 years old. Once that happens, the SSA automatically converts your SSDI into regular Social Security retirement payments. Your monthly pay amount won’t change, and the process happens automatically without any additional paperwork.

Medicare Coverage Begins 48 Months After You Get Your First SSDI Payment

Most people must wait until their 65th birthday to access federal Medicare health coverage. However, on the two-year anniversary of your first SSDI payment, you’re automatically eligible for Medicare at any age. Apply for early retirement at 62 instead, and Medicare stays out of reach for another 3 years.

Federal Program #2: Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

The SSI program pays cash benefits to disabled or blind children and adults as well as seniors aged 65+ based on financial need. Supplemental Security Income payments come out of the federal government’s General Tax Fund revenue each year. That means people receiving SSI benefits have no financial impact on the Social Security Trust Fund.

You Must be Blind, Disabled, or at Least 65 Years Old to Qualify for SSI Benefits

There’s no work history requirement for SSI, so eligible children can qualify for benefits. However, once a child turns 18, they must re-qualify as a disabled or blind adult to receive SSI payments. Much like SSDI, this means proving you cannot work in any job for at least a year, specifically because of health problems.

If you’re at least 65 when you apply, then you can skip the consultative medical exam if you’re not disabled or blind.

SSI Financial Eligibility Requires Having Very Low Income and Almost No Assets

To technically qualify for SSI, your entire household income must be less than $2,019. That means not just how much money you make, but everyone who lives in your home, added together. If you’re applying for yourself only, you must own less than $2,000 in assets you can easily sell for cash. This includes things like jewelry, vehicles, stocks, trust fund money, lottery winnings, etc. The SSI asset limit for eligible couples is $3,000.

How Much is Disability in Wisconsin from the SSI Program? $967 for Individuals, or $1,450 per Couple

Understand that SSI benefits pay a maximum dollar amount each month set by Congress. However, as long as you stay low income and below the program’s asset limits, you can keep SSI benefits for life. And in years when Congress announces a COLA increase for October, your SSI payments will go up the following January.

You’ll Also Qualify for Medicaid Coverage and Other Benefits Once SSI Payments Begin

SSI claim approval means you’re automatically enrolled in Medicaid coverage starting the same month your payments begin. In addition, you should qualify for certain other benefits, like:

• The state’s FoodShare program
• Medical home health care assistance
• Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program (WHEAP)

How to Apply for Social Security Disability Benefits in Wisconsin

You have 3 free ways to apply:

1. In person at your nearest Social Security office. Trump Administration policy changes that went into effect in January 2025 now require everyone to make an appointment, if possible. Average wait for a field office appointment was 34 days in June 2025.
2. Online (but only if you’re applying for SSDI, not SSI). You can start your SSDI application at SSA.gov, but you cannot apply for SSI benefits online at this time.
3. For free through a nearby disability lawyer, which can shorten your wait for your first payment substantially. This method also boosts your chances of approval on your first try by 290%!

Wisconsin Disability Retirement Benefits Exclusively Available for WRS Employees

WRS employees who must stop working before normal retirement age can apply for the state’s disability benefits. This includes both short and long-term disabling conditions, so the one-year “unable to work” rule doesn’t apply. Here’s what you need to know:

1. Your normal retirement age varies based on your employment category. The normal retirement age for WRS employees is between 53-65 years old, depending on their job title. See all the age requirements listed in this brochure on page 3.
2. You can work part-time and keep your WRS disability benefits, in certain cases. You just have to stay under the annual earnings limit for WRS employees. In 2025, you must earn less than $20,757 from work, according to the ETF’s website.
3. There’s a 90-day waiting period before WRS employees can get their benefit payment. Normally, the day after your last paycheck goes through is your “effective date.” If you wait longer than that to apply, you might miss a partial or full month’s payment.
4. You might qualify for both SSDI and WRS benefit payments each month. This isn’t very common, but it’s possible! We recommend applying for both programs if you think you might qualify. Not sure if you will or not? You can consult a Wisconsin disability lawyer for free before you file.

How Much is Disability in Wisconsin for Eligible WRS Employees?

Your monthly pay amount depends on how long you’ve been a WRS employee and final average earnings. One 2025 brochure shows WRS disability in Wisconsin can replace 33% to 45% of your average monthly salary before you stopped working:

• 25 years of service can replace up to 33% of your average monthly teacher’s salary, for example
• 33 years of service should replace up to 45% of your average monthly income in WRS disability pay

Talk to a Disability Lawyer for Free to Learn How Much Disability Pay You May Qualify for Before You Apply

Having a lawyer file your application can save you 2.5 years of wait time with no income. All disability lawyers work on contingency. So, you won’t pay a Social Security attorney any legal fees if your claim isn’t successful. And if an attorney helps you secure benefits, you’ll only pay one small fee after your award goes through.

Want a free consultation to better understand all your options? Click the button below to see if you may qualify:

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