Social Security disability
Disability benefits in Kentucky
Social Security rules are the same in every state. This page covers what is different in Kentucky: who decides your claim, state money added to SSI, Medicaid, hearings and free help.
You have 60 days to appeal each decision, plus 5 days for mail.
Who decides your claim in Kentucky?
Department for Disability Determination Services (DDS)
This state office makes disability decisions for Social Security for people who live in Kentucky. It decides the medical part of SSI and SSDI claims. It does not take applications. Your local Social Security office checks the other rules, like work credits, income and assets.
- Part of
- Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet
Kentucky has 27 local Social Security offices. Find a Social Security office
Does Kentucky add money to SSI?
State Supplementation
State Supplementation is a state payment for adults 18 or older who are aged, blind or disabled. It helps people who do not have enough income to pay for care in a licensed personal care home or family care home. It also helps people who do not have enough income to live in a Community Integration Supplementation (CIS) setting or to pay a caretaker so they can stay out of an institution. The state pays the difference between a set standard and your countable income. People who get State Supplementation also get Medicaid without a separate application.
Paid by: the state
| Who | State part | Total per month with SSI | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|
| Person in a licensed personal care home (PCH) - for a person whose only income is the $994 SSI payment; keeps a $60 personal needs allowance | $616 | $1,610 | January 1, 2026 |
| Person in a licensed family care home (FCH) - for a person whose only income is the $994 SSI payment; keeps a $40 personal needs allowance | $172 | $1,166 | January 1, 2026 |
| Community Integration Supplementation (CIS): standard $1,514 a month. The payment is $1,514 minus your countable income. | – | $1,514 | January 1, 2026 |
| Caretaker Services, individual (or individual with an ineligible spouse) - for a person whose only income is the $994 SSI payment | $62 | $1,056 | January 1, 2026 |
The total uses the federal SSI amount for that living arrangement. For people living on their own, the federal SSI part is $994 a month for one person or $1,491 for a couple in 2026. In another person's household or in a medical facility it is less.
- How to apply
- It is not automatic with SSI. Apply with the Kentucky Department for Community Based Services (DCBS), in person at a DCBS office, by phone at 855-306-8959, or by home visit if you ask. You cannot apply for State Supplementation on the kynect online portal.
- Contact
- Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, Department for Community Based Services (DCBS), Division of Family Support
855-306-8959
https://www.chfs.ky.gov/agencies/dcbs/dfs/Pages/default.aspx
Medicaid in Kentucky
If you get SSI in Kentucky, you also get Medicaid. You do not need a separate Medicaid application.
- Program
- Kentucky Medicaid
- Medicaid agency
- Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, Department for Medicaid Services (DMS); applications through DCBS
https://www.chfs.ky.gov/agencies/dms/member/Pages/default.aspx
855-306-8959 (DCBS Family Support call line)
State disability and paid leave in Kentucky
Kentucky has no state-run short-term disability or paid medical leave program listed here.
Hearing offices and federal court in Kentucky
4 hearing offices serve Kentucky. Hearing office locator (Social Security)
Lexington, KY Hearing Office
Hearing office
- Address
- Suite 210, 2241 Buena Vista Road, Lexington, KY 40505-9901
- Phone
- (866) 783-7301
- Fax
- (833) 949-2154
Louisville, KY Hearing Office
Hearing office
- Address
- Gene Snyder U.S. Courthouse, 601 W. Broadway, Suite 300, Louisville, KY 40202
- Phone
- (866) 755-0197
- Fax
- (833) 968-1660
Middlesboro, KY Hearing Office
Hearing office
- Address
- 12 Tech Park Drive, Middlesboro, KY 40965
- Phone
- (877) 600-2851
- Fax
- (833) 509-0821
Paducah, KY Hearing Office
Hearing office
- Address
- Suite 200, 4730 Village Square Drive, Paducah, KY 42001
- Phone
- (866) 964-2041
- Fax
- (833) 616-0134
Federal district court
If you appeal to federal court, you file in the district court that covers your county.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky
Counties covered (67)
- Anderson
- Bath
- Bell
- Boone
- Bourbon
- Boyd
- Boyle
- Bracken
- Breathitt
- Campbell
- Carroll
- Carter
- Clark
- Clay
- Elliott
- Estill
- Fayette
- Fleming
- Floyd
- Franklin
- Gallatin
- Garrard
- Grant
- Greenup
- Harlan
- Harrison
- Henry
- Jackson
- Jessamine
- Johnson
- Kenton
- Knott
- Knox
- Laurel
- Lawrence
- Lee
- Leslie
- Letcher
- Lewis
- Lincoln
- McCreary
- Madison
- Magoffin
- Martin
- Mason
- Menifee
- Mercer
- Montgomery
- Morgan
- Nicholas
- Owen
- Owsley
- Pendleton
- Perry
- Pike
- Powell
- Pulaski
- Robertson
- Rockcastle
- Rowan
- Scott
- Shelby
- Trimble
- Wayne
- Whitley
- Wolfe
- Woodford
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky
Court help for people without a lawyer
Counties covered (53)
- Adair
- Allen
- Ballard
- Barren
- Breckinridge
- Bullitt
- Butler
- Caldwell
- Calloway
- Carlisle
- Casey
- Christian
- Clinton
- Crittenden
- Cumberland
- Daviess
- Edmonson
- Fulton
- Graves
- Grayson
- Green
- Hancock
- Hardin
- Hart
- Henderson
- Hickman
- Hopkins
- Jefferson
- Larue
- Livingston
- Logan
- Lyon
- McCracken
- McLean
- Marion
- Marshall
- Meade
- Metcalfe
- Monroe
- Muhlenberg
- Nelson
- Ohio
- Oldham
- Russell
- Simpson
- Spencer
- Taylor
- Todd
- Trigg
- Union
- Warren
- Washington
- Webster
Free help in Kentucky
Protection & Advocacy agency (P&A)
Kentucky Protection and Advocacy
- Phone
- 502-564-2967 (toll-free 800-372-2988)
- Website
- https://www.kypa.net/
Legal aid
- AppalReD Legal Aid (Appalachian Research and Defense Fund of Kentucky) · 1-866-277-5733
https://www.ardfky.org/ - Kentucky Legal Aid · 1-800-782-1924
https://www.klaid.org/ - Legal Aid of the Bluegrass · 859-431-8200
https://lablaw.org/ - Legal Aid Society (Louisville) · 502-584-1254
https://yourlegalaid.org/
Vocational Rehabilitation (VR)
Kentucky Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (Kentucky Career Center)
- Phone
- 1-800-372-7172
Good to know in Kentucky
- Kentucky's State Supplementation helps people in personal care homes, family care homes, community integration settings, or who need a caretaker. Since January 1, 2026, the personal care home standard is $1,610 a month. (DCBS Operations Manual Vol. V, MS 1200)
- You must apply for State Supplementation in person, by phone or by home visit. It cannot be done on the kynect online portal. (DCBS Operations Manual Vol. V, MS 1400)
- Kentucky's disability office (DDS) is part of the Education and Labor Cabinet. It does not take applications; you apply with Social Security. (Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet)
Recent changes
January 1, 2026: new State Supplementation standards (PCH $1,610, CIS $1,514, FCH $1,166, Caretaker $1,056 / $1,552 / $1,606) (DCBS Operations Manual Vol. V, MS 1200 R. 3/9/26).
More RobinClaim guides for Kentucky → · All states
Sources
- Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet - Department for Disability Determination Services Program
- SSA POMS SI 01715.010 - Medicaid and the SSI Program
- SSA POMS SI 01415.058 - Federally Administered Optional Supplementary Payment Programs for January 2026 (Kentucky not listed)
- DCBS Division of Family Support - Operations Manual Volume V, State Supplementation
- DCBS - Division of Family Support
- Kentucky Department for Medicaid Services - Member Information
- Kentucky Office of Vocational Rehabilitation
- STABLE Kentucky
- NDRN - Member Agencies (Kentucky)
- LSC - Our Grantees
- 28 U.S.C. §97 - Kentucky (govinfo)
- Social Security: hearing office locator
Last checked: November 2026