How to Apply for Disability in Wyoming: Your Disability Benefits Guide

Important: We updated this article in April 2025 after fact checking against current Social Security Administration policies and claim statistics. Worried you will have to retire early because you cannot hold down full time work with your current health issues? While the Social Security Administration (SSA) offers early retirement once you turn 62, it pays a lot less than disability in Wyoming usually does.

If health issues make working harder for you as you grown older, you can get your full retirement pay through Social Security disability benefits. Learn how to apply and qualify for monthly disability benefits, including pay amounts, how long the application process takes, and more helpful info below.

Getting Social Security Disability in Wyoming: Key Takeaways

• Two federal programs offer financial assistance to disabled Wyoming residents if you become unable to work before you reach full retirement age. The Social Security Administration (SSA) manages both of those programs.
• To qualify for disability, you must prove you cannot work at all for a minimum of 12 months, and specifically for medical reasons.
• No federal or state government programs pay temporary disability benefits to WY residents. However, other types of disability benefits may be available to you if you have any military service or were injured at work.
• Your chances for benefit approval go up significantly if you work with an experienced Social Security attorney to file your application. The SSA normally approves less than 1 in 5 people who apply the first time without legal assistance.

You Have Two Ways to Get Social Security Disability Benefits in Wyoming

Two government programs offer monthly disability benefits through the Social Security Administration:

1. Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
2. Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)

You can apply for both benefits at the same time by checking a single box on the application forms.

Program #1 for Getting Disability in Wyoming: Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

The SSI disability program supports low income children and adults who do not have much work history. That said, SSI does not pay any benefits for dependents. If you didn’t work at least 5 in the last 10 years while paying Social Security taxes, you can apply for SSI benefits.

Technical Eligibility Rules to Qualify for SSI Disability Benefits

Cowboy State residents who want SSI benefits must meet all the following:

• Have a total household income that falls below $2,019 each month. This means the SSA looks at how much everyone who lives in your home earns each month, not just you. Child support, alimony, SNAP, TANF, etc., all count toward this monthly total when you apply.
• Own total assets that are worth no more than $2,000 in value (or $3,000 for couples). This includes your bank account balances and items you can sell, such as stocks and bonds, lottery tickets, etc. Your wedding ring, your home (if you own it), one vehicle you own and other daily living items do not count.
• Cannot work for at least one year in any full time job, which the SSA calls “engaging in substantial gainful activity.” If you are still working when you apply, they can automatically deny your claim based on your wage amount.
• Be blind, disabled, or at least 65 years old when you file your SSI claim paperwork. You must to provide strong, recent medical evidence to support your claim if you’re younger than 65 years old.

How Much Money Can I Get in SSI Disability Each Month?

Approved applicants can receive up to $967; couples can get $1,450. If Congress approves a cost of living adjustment (COLA) every October, then your benefit pay goes up the following January.

Are SSI Payments Permanent?

Wyoming disability recipients on SSI must pass an update every 3-7 years in order to keep their monthly payments. If you’re over 65, benefits continue as long as you have very limited income and few or no countable resources. But if you’re younger and don’t pass an update, then Disability Determination Services will suspend your SSI payments.

How Do I Pay for Doctor Visits on SSI?

Within 60 days of your SSI claim approval, you should qualify for Medicaid coverage. That program can help cover the cost of your health care expenses after SSI approval.

Program #2 for Getting Disability in Wyoming: Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)

The SSDI program uses payroll taxes from employee job wages to pay for monthly benefits. Both disabled workers and their eligible dependents can receive these benefits. However, disabled children cannot qualify for SSDI benefits on their own because they have no work history.

Technical Eligibility Rules for SSDI Payments

If you can meet all the following requirements, you can apply for SSDI Wyoming disability payments:

• You worked at least 5 in the past 10 years full time while paying Social Security taxes out of your job wages. If you stop working for 60 months in a row, then your federal disability insurance coverage ends.
• You have a valid Social Security number, but do not yet receive any RSDI benefits. RSDI stands for “retirement, survivor, and disability insurance,” which are different Social Security benefits. Once you start drawing Social Security retirement, you’re automatically not eligible for federal disability benefits.
• You have at least one medical condition that forces you to stop working enough to support yourself each month. So, how much money is “too much” to qualify for SSDI? If you make at least $1,620 per month, that counts as “substantial gainful activity” to the SSA. That monthly income limit goes up to $2,700 in 2025 if you’re blind.
• Your medical condition must last for at least 12 months, or your doctor expects it to result in your death. If you can return to work in less than a year, then you aren’t eligible for SSDI. Haven’t seen a doctor lately? Disability Determination Services can schedule an exam to determine if you meet the medical requirements.

How Much Money Can I Get from SSDI Each Month?

The SSA calculates disability payments using your average monthly job wages over 35 years of work history. Then, they adjust that amount for current inflation and pay you about 40% of that amount in benefits. The national average monthly SSDI payment for 2025 is $1,580. The current maximum SSDI benefit anyone can receive under federal law is $4,018. However, most people approved in the past year receive a benefit that falls somewhere between those two dollar amounts.

How Long Can I Receive SSDI Payments?

You can receive SSDI benefits until you turn 67 as long as you pass Continuing Disability Review updates every 3-7 years. After that, the SSA automatically changes your payments over to regular Social Security retirement benefits. Your monthly pay amount stays exactly the same as it was before your 67th birthday.

How Do I Pay for Doctor Visits on SSDI?

Two years (24 months) after your SSDI claim approval, you are automatically eligible for Medicare health insurance coverage. However, you may need to file separate paperwork to enroll in that program through Medicare.gov. You do not have to wait until you are 65 years old to enroll in Medicare if you receive SSDI payments each month.

How to Apply for Disability Benefits from the Social Security Administration

You have a few different ways to apply for Social Security disability benefits, which we outline below.

Apply Online

If you are only interested in SSDI benefits, you can apply for those online via the SSA’s website.

Important: You cannot apply for SSI benefits online anywhere at this time.

In Person at Your Local SSA Office

At this time, many Social Security Administration office locations require an appointment before you arrive. You can find your nearest field office by entering in your ZIP code in the online search tool here.

File for Free Through a Disability Attorney

A disability lawyer can help you apply, and there is no upfront cost for this service. However, it’s the only way to file for disability in Wyoming that triples your approval odds on your first try.

How Long Does Disability Payment Approval Take?

Most people who apply and qualify get their first benefit payment in about 6 months. The approval process takes 5 months, at minimum, and the SSA usually deposits your first check the next month.

Denied benefits on your first try? As long as you act within 60 days, you have two chances to appeal a disability claim denial:

1. File a reconsideration within 60 days. You may have to wait 3.5 months for the first step in the appeals process to finish.
2. Request a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge if you’re turned down a second time. This step can add another year to your average wait for disability benefits; you must also appeal within 60 days.

Even if you eventually do get benefits, you may have to wait at least 2 years for your first payment unless you have an attorney.

A Wyoming Disability Attorney Can Help You Get Through the Application Process Faster

Pro Tip: You’re almost 3x more likely to receive benefits within 6 months while working with a disability attorney.

Working with a Social Security lawyer can also make the process easier. Every attorney in our national network works on contingency and offers free claim evaluations to people like you. This evaluation can help you learn whether you may qualify for disability in Wyoming before you start the application process.

Disability lawyers can also pay for things you may not have money for right now, like copies of your complete medical records. Medical evidence is a key component of your application for Social Security disability benefits in WY. Without them, you have very little chance of payment approval.

Best of all, attorneys charge $0 if the SSA fails to award you benefits. And if you succeed, you only owe one small fee out of any lump sum bamck pay the agency already owes you. Back benefits, on average, equal close to $20,000 in a single payment.

Ready to get started? Click the button below to start your free online benefits evaluation now:

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