How Long Can I Keep My Disability Benefits?
If you are receiving Social Security disability benefits, could SSA discontinue your monthly checks? They could, but it would have to be because they have determined that your medical condition has improved and you are able to go back to work.
Your impairment and your ability to work are the two major criteria for eligibility of disability benefits. So, once you are approved, SSA will need to periodically check to see if anything has changed.
You will have to undergo two continuing disability reviews (CDRs); one on your disability, and one on your work status. How often these CDRs occur depends on your situation:
- Six to 18 months after your disability benefits began if your disability is likely to improve
- Every three years if your disability is expected to improve over time
- Once every five to seven years if you are unlikely to improve
You don’t have to do anything about scheduling a CDR. SSA will know when to contact you. Since the CDRs heavily rely on medical evidence, it would be wise for you to keep detailed, ongoing medical records.
If SSA decides that your disability has improved enough for you to go back to work, they will discontinue benefits three months after making the decision that you are no longer disabled. You can always appeal their decision if you disagree.
The one thing you must do is inform SSA if your condition improves, or if you have gone back to work. The work CDR reviews your earnings and, if you earn more than the current Substantial Gainful Allowance, you benefits will stop.
But, you never have to worry about losing benefits if your disability continues to prevent you from working. Your disability benefits are yours for as long as you need them.
Learn More About Your Disability Benefits:
Ticket to Work Program
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) Eligibility
Social Security Disability FAQ’s- I’m on Disability. Can I Work and Keep My Benefits?
Why was I Denied Disability Benefits?
What is Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)?
Social Security Disability and Retirement Benefits – What’s the Difference?
can you file for bankruptcy while on social security disability?
Yes. You don't lose your rights to SSDI if you file for bankruptcy.
What happens if you've received SSI and SS for 13 years for a bi-polar disorder then your healed supernaturally. How long do you have before they cut you off SSI and SS and do they help with update of skills or time for education? I'm 55 yrs old. I have absolutely no other income. Ready and willing to work and am totally thankful and happy about it. Thanks
Dallas, That's great news that you are ready and willing to work again. SSA's Ticket to Work program can help you ease back into work while still on benefits. Find out about Ticket to Work here. And good luck!
Will attempting to go back to work will help or hurt you at review time?
It's great if you can work again. Your review is required specifically to determine if you still qualify for SSDI. If your medical condition imrpoves, making it possible for you to return to work, and you have earned above the current Substantial Gainful Allowance in one month ($1,000 in 2010) your benefit will be affected. Review the Ticket to Work program which gives you the opportunity to try working again without losing SSDI during that period of time. You can always reapply for benefits if you can't continue working because of your disability.
About how many time should i see my doctors a year? So i don't hurt my review
There's no particular number of times required to see your doctor in a year. What you should do, however, is keep good medical records of your visits throughout the year. They will be needed at the time of the review, which is required to determine if your condition is still making it impossible for you to work.
If married can your wife received monthly benefits along with your kids?
According to SSA, certain members of the family may qualify for benefits based on your work. This is what they say: •Your spouse, if he or she is 62 or older; •Your spouse, at any age if he or she is caring for a child of yours who is younger than age 16 or disabled; •Your unmarried child, including an adopted child, or, in some cases, a stepchild or grandchild. The child must be under age 18 or under age 19 if in elementary or secondary school full time; and •Your unmarried child, age 18 or older, if he or she has a disability that started before age 22. (The child’s disability also must meet the definition of disability for adults.)
will my family be under my medicare benefits when i gets it?
Your Medicare benefit only covers you. You have to wait 24 months after receiving SSDI to be eligible for Medicare.
Does ssa review claimants every 7 years?
SSA schedules continuing disability reviews (a CDR) based on your disabiling condition. Generally, if SSA expects that your condition is likely to improve, you can expect a review six to 18 months after your disability benefits began. If your condition is expected to improve over time, a review will be scheduled every three years. For a medical condition that is not expected to improve, SSA will schedule a review once every five to seven years.
ssa said my disability is not likely to improve, to save them money do they leave cases like that alone?
Please don't worry. You have your benefits, and that is a good thing. You probably won't be reviewed for another seven years, if, as you say, your condition is unlikely to improve. At least you know you have the disability benefits you need.
if you have one review in seven years and I am now at age 55, will there be another review?
Vance, In seven years you will be 62. If anything should occur to question your eligibilty for disability benefits at that time, you have the option to take early retirement. The amount will remain the same. All disability benefits change over to retirement benefits at retirement age.
I'm on SSI. Assuming I continue to get benefits at age 62 and opt for early retirement, will I still have the $2,000 limit (or however much they may raise it to between now and then.) or will I be treated like other retirees who didn't start out on SSI, and never had the $2,000 limit to begin with?
Dan, It would be best to check with your local SSA office for information about your earned Social Security benefit, which is based on your work history and how much you paid into Social Security. Since SSI is based on income and resources, that benefit may be reduced when you take Social Security retirement benefits. Again, SSA can better advise you.
I have an phone interview for disability on May 12, 2010. A couple of months ago I apply for a job and last Thursday they called me in for interview for a part time job. I went and I feel it went well and they said they will call me and I've yet to hear from them. I want the disability but i also want the job it's a job helping others and think I could force myself, though maybe sometimes painful,to do because it's the type of work I've always wanted to do. Please can you help me asap to know what should i do ?
It's wonderful that you have the opportunity to work at something you have always wanted to do. If you get the job offer, you will be earning your own income and that would be great. Even though you have a phone interview to start your disability claim, it could take 3 to 5 months to get a decision from SSA. It's hard to know what the outcome will be with SSA. But, if you get the job you will have something to celebrate. Perhaps you should wait and see. Good luck!
I have been on Social Security Disability for quite a few years and just yesterday I received a letter telling me my monthly benefits have been discontinued because they never received certain needed information from me. But I have no idea what they're talking about. If they sent me documents to fill out -- which I assume they must have -- then I never got them in the mail, and they were obviously lost in transit. But I also received no letter(s) of warning either, saying that if they did not get the needed info by such and such a date they would discontinue my benefits. The letter also mentions the fact that I can file an appeal, but the appeal process is supposed to apply only to a decision made concerning a beneficiary's medical condition having improved, in their opinion, to the point that they are no longer disabled. But no such decision has been made in my case because they never received any information on which to base such a decision in the first place. Obviously I will call the SS office first thing Monday and hopefully they will be understanding, but I got the letter late Friday and have to wait for two suspense-filled days to speak to someone there about my situation. But, in the meantime, do you think this will all work out and will my benefit payment for May (this coming Wednesday) come through as it should?
It sounds like SSA conducted a continuing disability review (CDR) of your case. You should have received a notification letter about the CDR from SSA and then you should have been contacted by your local SSA office on what new medical information they needed from you to conduct the review. A periodic medical review by SSA is required to determine continued eligibility. If SSA determines that your medical condition has improved enough for you to work again, your benefits are expected to stop three months after this determination is made. You always have the right to appeal the decision if you disagree, but you will need medical evidence and the support of your doctors to prove that your condition has not improved enough for you to work. And you have 60 days in which to file an appeal.
It looks like I was awarded SSDI. I just received three years of back pay today, but not the award letter! A few weeks ago I started working part time as an independent contractor. (I have not worked up to this point since filing for benefits). I am doing some computer work at home for my Uncle's business. I am working 15 hours per week. The times I work during the week are very flexible, so I am able to work as I see fit. My income (as well as the hours) is under the trial work period amount. Since I am working (part time), could this cause issues when the CDR is done? Also, among my multiple impairments, I have issues with social isolation. Since I live alone and am working from home, could this prove to be helpful when SSA does their review? I was overly anxious while waiting to see if I was awarded or not. Now that I have the award, I am already anxious about the CDR!
Lynn, It's great that you can work from time to time. If you earn below substantial gainful allowance there shouldn't be a problem. A CDR is usually scheduled six to 18 months after your disability benefits began if they think you are likely to improve. If they think you'll improve over time, a CDR could be scheduled every three years; and if your condition is not expected to imrpve, your case will be reviewed every five to seven years. It's wise to keep good medical records so that you can provide updates when you do undergo a CDR. I hope this helps.
Unfortunately, I was very concerned about working, even though it was under the Trial Work Period. :( I received the decision letter yesterday. It said the CDR will be in 16 months. I have two questions about this: 1. Since they are thinking that I would likely improve, if I was working, even under SGA, would this create issues? 2. At the time of the review, I will be 56. Will that have any impact? Thanks for answering me!
One thing I would like to add about working part time for my Uncle's business is that it would not be once in a while. It would be a steady job that could last for a LONG time. So perhaps I made the right choice!
It's hard to say what the outcome will be after your CDR but it is not for some time anyway. It sounds like you have made the right choice.
If a determination is made that a person is no longer disabled, is able to return to work and thus SSDI benefits are discontinued, will their Medicare benefits be discontinued at the same time?
Kim, There's no cut and dry answer to this question. It really depends on the person's case scenario. In some cases, Medicare benefits can roll over for up to 36 months while back at work. The best thing to do is to ask SSA.
I've completed my 20+ page packet for my first CDR, which is occurring 6 years after my SSDI benefits were approved. I received a call from a social worker at the SSA stating they would make a decision in about a month. This call was after a nervous call from me, because it had been four months since I turned my paperwork in, and some of my doctors indicated that they had not received a records request. My question is this, I was initially approved for SSDI because I have a chronic seizure disorder, optic neuritis (I'm blind in one eye), and anxiety/depression. Well, I haven't seen a neurologist or a psychiatrist in the last six months, but I see other doctors quite frequently, because they prescribe me the meds that my neuro and psych deemed that I'm about, "as good as I'm as going to get." I still have several seizures a month, and due to my injuries from them, I am in the midst of surgery after surgery repairing the damage. Will they kick me off SSDI because I technically haven't been trying to improve through a neuro or psych. We just gave up after being told there was only so much they could do. I see them, just not as often as I used to.
I am in the 1st stages of my application process and a decision has not been made yet. I have been told my case was requested for federal review? Then I was told this is just a random selection for called quality assurrance review. If every thing checks out, my case will be sent back to the state and a decision will be made or the federal review board will request additional medical info from the state before a decision is made? Is this a normal process. My case is complicated because it involves mental and physical disabilities.
Deborah, Yes, this is a normal process. And the quality review is random. It is also not uncommon for this happen to a case. It's all part of the approval process. Good luck with your claim.
My daughter has just received her ssi payments this summer. She turned 18 right after she the ALJ approved her for benefits. In his order he stated that because she was going to turn 18 in a month that she was did not have to have another CDR for 24 months. However the local SSA sent a letter stating that my daughter have to have an ODR now. I told them that I had a copy of the ruling from the judge and that it said that she did not have to have an ODR for 24 months. They said they did not recieve that and that they could not accept the copy from me. Can they do that? What should I do?
I am currently waiting for my first disability check to come in Feb. However I've been on Supplemtal Security income now for 3 months. I just received a letter in the mail stating that i need to contact them if i want to keep my ssi benefits. I'm confused. Why would I receive a letter like this and also will i continue to get both ssi and ssdi at the same time?
Heather, It's great that you'll be getting SSDI payments. Your SSI benefit is based on need. Your SSDI benefit will increase your countable income, reducing your “need” and the SSI amount. Please read our article "Can I Get Both SSI and SSDI Benefits." SSA will need to assess your current SSI amount and probably adjust it in February. However, congratulations on getting SSDI.
My Mother-In-Law was deemed disabled in 2008 but only eligible for SSI benifits due to not having worked in the last 10 yrs prior to her disabilty. I have recently found out that after age 50 if you are disabled and your spouse is deceased that you may be eligible for thier benifits. I contacted SS and told them of my findings and they want me to come in for a interview on her behalf as she has Frontal temporal Lobe Dementia and can not complete an interview herself. I am confused as to why I will need to prove her to be disabled when she is already receiving SSI and was evaluated back in 2008 by a SS doctor and deemed disabled shouldn't these benifits just switch right over? Also will she receive back pay from SSDI even though she was receiving SSI? Her spouse was deceased already at the time that she was deemed disabled. Any help with this is greatly appreciated, also any suggestions as to what to take with me to the interview?
Paula, We don't know enough about your mother-in-law's situation but here's some thoughts. A disabled widow must be between 50-59 to get her deceased husband's Social Security benefits. He would need to have been deceased within seven years of her being found disabled. However, there are technical complexities about these things that you would be much better off talking directly to SSA about, including the benefit amount and the issue of back pay. For the interview you should bring: her marriage certificate; her birth certficate; her husband's death certificate; information on her medical treating sources and her SSI approval letter. There may also be questions asked about her husband such as if he served in the military. I hope this helps.
I have been on ssi for 10 years for pts in the last 2years i have not seen a doctor at all and have moved out of state without notifying social security, i just received a form from them wanting to know when the last times i have seen a dr. was. What is the first step i should take?
Jen, You must be truthful to Social Security so you do have to keep them informed on any changes in your life. As far as not seeing a doctor goes, perhaps you can find a health clinic near you and get examined so that there is updated information about your medical history for SSA to review. Please read our article "The Government Can Help You Find a Doctor" to help you get started in finding a good treating source.