Alaska SSDI and SSI Benefits

If you have a medical impairment keeping you from working full-time for at least twelve months, you may be eligible for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI). While disability benefits are funded by the federal government, a sizable chunk of the disability determination process is handled on the state level.

How to Apply for Disability Benefits in Alaska

When you first file for disability benefits, a local Social Security field office will review your application to make sure that you're legally eligible to receive SSDI or SSI. Eligibility for SSDI is based on your work history and how much you've paid in payroll taxes, while SSI is available for low-income disabled people and their families.

If you're not sure which type of benefit you might qualify for, you can check whether you have enough work credits to get SSDI or have earnings below the SSI income and asset thresholds. Call 800-772-1213 to speak with a representative with Social Security, or contact one of Alaska's three Social Security field offices.

The Anchorage office is open from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The phone number for the office is 866-772-3081, and it's located at the following address:

222 W 8th Avenue
Room A11
Anchorage, AK 99513

The Fairbanks office is open from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The phone number for the office is 800-478-0391, and it's located at the following address:

101 12th Avenue
Room 138
Fairbanks, AK 99701

The Juneau office is open from 11:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The phone number for the office is 800-478-7124, and it's located at the following address:

709 West 9th Street
Room 231
Juneau, AK 99801

When you're ready to file your application, you can use the above contact information to file over the phone or in person at the office most convenient to you. If you're eligible for SSDI benefits, you can also submit your application online using Social Security's web portal.

Alaska Disability Determination Services

Once Social Security determines that you meet the basic eligibility criteria for benefits, your file is sent to Alaska's Disability Determination Services (DDS). DDS is a state agency, run by the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, that helps the federal government process disability applications. Contact information for the DDS office in Anchorage is as follows:

Alaska Disability Determination Services
619 East Ship Creek #305
Anchorage, AK 99501

Telephone: 907-777-8100

Claims examiners at Alaska DDS review disability applications to determine if the applicant qualifies as disabled under Social Security's five-step sequential evaluation process. If you're denied after the first review (called the initial determination) of your claim, you can appeal within 60 days of receiving your denial notice. This step is called a request for reconsideration, meaning that you're asking another claims examiner to look at your disability application and hopefully arrive at a different conclusion.

Alaska has the highest approval rating of initial disability claims in the entire country (almost 55% in fiscal year 2023). The approval rating drops significantly at the reconsideration stage, with 24% of claims being approved at this level, but that percentage is still much higher than the national average of 15% of claims being approved at reconsideration.

Social Security Disability Appeals in Alaska

If you receive a second denial after reconsideration review, you can request a hearing in front of an administrative law judge. At this point, your file will move from DDS back to the federal Social Security Administration—specifically, the Office of Hearing Operations. Keep in mind that you'll likely have to wait a while (typically, one year) for your hearing to be scheduled after you submit your hearing request.

Most in-person ("live") hearings in Alaska are held at the Anchorage office, located at the following address:

188 W Northern Lights Boulevard
Suite 610
Anchorage, AK 99503

The telephone and fax numbers for the Anchorage office are:

Phone: 855-602-5004
Fax: 833-953-2037
eFile Fax: 877-714-3607

Many Alaska hearings are held remotely, however. You may have a phone hearing or videoconference with the judge assigned to your case. For phone hearings, Social Security will call the number they have on file for you at the date and time printed on your Notice of Hearing. For video hearings, you'll be provided with a secure Microsoft Teams link that you'll need to join at the date and time on your hearing notice. Your representative (if you have one) will also be present at the hearing.

Alaska Supplemental State Payments to SSI

Most adults receiving SSI in Alaska are also eligible for Adult Public Assistance (APA), a supplemental benefit program that is run by the state. In 2024, APA is $362 per month for adults living independently who receive the full amount of the SSI federal benefit rate ($943 per month in 2024). In other words, one SSI recipient, living independently, can receive a total of $1,305 per month, including both the federal payment and the state supplement.

APA payment amounts vary depending on the SSI recipient's living situation. For example, people who are living in assisted living facilities are eligible for APA payments of only $100 per month, and those in Medicaid facilities can receive a maximum of $170 per month. Not everybody is eligible for the program, however—children aren't eligible, and neither are seniors who live in the Alaska Pioneer Homes.

APA is administered by the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, Division of Public Assistance. To apply for APA, you should fill out the relevant section of the general Application for Services (link opens to the document in PDF format). The first several pages contain important information, while the application itself begins on page 7. Check the box for "Adult Public Assistance" and complete the application. When you're finished, you can email it to [email protected], fax it to 888-269-6520, or mail it to one of the APA offices (the addresses are listed at the end of the application).

The APA has offices in Anchorage, Bethel, Fairbanks, Homer, Juneau, Kenai, Ketchikan, Kodiak, Nome, Sitka, and Wasilla. You can call 800-478-7778 to speak with a representative at these locations. If you're deaf or hard of hearing, you can dial 711 to reach an Alaska Relay Communications Assistant.

SSI Eligibility and the Permanent Fund

When determining continuing eligibility for SSI benefits, Social Security does count as income the Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) that all Alaskans receive each October. In 2024, the PFD is expected to be about $1,600 per year. The PFD is considered income in the first month that it is received and a resource in every month after that if it's not spent.

But for the first four months after receiving the PFD, the State of Alaska will reimburse Social Security for any overpayments of SSI caused by the PFD, rather than allowing Social Security to seek repayment from the SSI recipient. So Alaskans on SSI have four months to spend their PFDs before their SSI is reduced, or they personally will have to repay an overpayment.

Do I Need a Lawyer to Get Social Security Disability Benefits?

You don't need to have an attorney at any step in the disability application process, but it can be a smart idea to have one. Alaska boasts a higher-than-average approval rating at the initial and reconsideration levels, meaning that many Alaskans successfully apply for disability on their own. But if you're denied benefits and you make it to the hearing level, you have a lower-than-average chance of winning benefits compared to the lower 48. At this stage, you'll probably want to consult with an experienced disability attorney who can advise you on strategies to strengthen your claim.