Q: When should I expect to actually start receiving benefits payments for SSDI?
A: 5 months after your condition began, you can begin to collect SSDI payments. You will really begin receiving payments the sixth month after the onset date of injury, since benefits are paid a month after they are due. If you have been awarded retroactive benefits, most claimants receive those payments in about 60 days. Please note that you will not be given backpay for the 5 month waiting period after your onset date. A social security lawyer can be of valuable assistance, if you wish to apply for retroactive benefits or have not yet received your anticipated first benefits check after your 5 month waiting period.
Q: Will your dependents also receive disability payments?
A: Yes, your dependents might qualify for disability benefits too. If your child is less than 18 years of age and is not married, he can qualify. Your children will qualify for benefits until age 19, if they are still students. Your spouse may qualify if he is over age 61. Your spouse might qualify, regardless of age, if he is supporting your children who are 16 or younger. The amount of benefits your qualified family members receive may be as much as half of the monthly payment amount to which you are entitled. Contact a social security lawyer, if you have any concerns about eligibility or applying for disability benefits for any of your family members.
Q: When you are currently receiving social security disability payments and your file is reviewed, what does it mean?
A: Social Security conducts regular reviews of all disability cases that were awarded benefits. When your claim is approved, a review schedule is set and is dependent upon the particular details of your condition. Your file should normally be reviewed a year after you are awarded benefits, then the third and seventh years after. Many state social security agencies have a bit of a review logjam right now, which means that many reviews are not happening on the one, three, seven year timeline. Because of that, you should be ready for a review at any time. Your file is reviewed periodically to assure that the most recent details about your condition are noted. Disability examiners are interested in determining whether your injury has improved, worsened or remains the same. If you are concerned about the results of a recent review of your file, it may be wise to seek the counsel of a social security lawyer. The experience and knowledge of a social security lawyer can be invaluable, if you are worried about losing social security disability benefits due to changes in your condition or employment.
Posted on March 14th, 2009 by admin in Uncategorized
Q: When will I actually start receiving benefits?
A: When your disability case was given approval, the Social Security board in your particular state decided when your injury first prevented you from working (known as “date of onset.”) Five months following that determined onset date, you will be allowed to collect your first benefits. But, benefits are paid at the end of each eligible month, so you will not receive your first payment until six months after your date of onset. You will not receive payments for the five month waiting period. If your disability began before you applied for Social Security disability, you may be eligible to receive back payments. You can receive retroactive benefit payments for no more than a year. If you believe you are eligible for back payments, you may wish to seek counsel from a social security lawyer to help you apply for retroactive benefits. Given that the application and review process for claims can be quite lengthy, a good number of claimants are awarded benefits retroactively.
Q: Are my dependents eligible for benefit payments?
A: Whether or not your children receive benefits will depend upon how much you contributed to Social Security prior to being injured. Your child may be entitled to receive monthly benefit amounts of about 50 percent of your full monthly benefit amount. There are limits to how much your family can collect. And again, how much your dependents are eligible to receive is based on your Social Security earnings history. To be eligible, a child cannot be married. He cannot be older than 18, unless he is a student (students cannot be older than 20 to be eligible.) Your dependents will not qualify as part of your benefits, if you collect Supplemental Security Income payments. A social security lawyer can be a good advocate, if you are confused about family benefit limits or dependent eligibility.
Q: Does my case continue to be reviewed after benefits have been awarded?
The administration does evaluate your records from time to time. Social Security is entitled to conduct a review (called a Continuing Disability Review) as long as you continue to receive benefits. A periodic CDR will give the disability examiner current information on your medical condition, treatments and status. CDRs are described as being done a year after approval, then three years and seven years after. Given current backlogs, your file could be undergoing a CDR at any point. You will maintain your benefits, until your injury has changed or you are able to work enough to bring in at least $940 monthly income. SSI benefits will discontinue if your income is no longer below the income criterion. You may wish to seek the counsel of a social security lawyer, if you have any questions or concerns about returning to work while currently receiving benefits.