If you apply for Social Security Disability (SSDI) benefits, you’ll probably want to know how long they’ll last for and this is a question that just about every applicant has. Let’s say that you apply for disability benefits and your application is approved. Will they last for the rest of your life? Are you only able to get them for a certain number of weeks? Do they end when you return to work, that is “if” you are able to go back to work?
According to the Social Security Administration (SSA), benefits generally continue as long as a person’s medical condition has not improved and the individual is unable to work. However, a person’s benefits do not necessarily continue indefinitely. Factors like advances in medical technology and rehabilitation help disabled individuals recover from serious injuries, accidents, and illnesses. Even if it takes years to recover, people often heal enough so they can do some modified or lighter work eventually.
Will My Case Be Reviewed?
You may wonder how the SSA knows if someone’s medical condition has healed enough that benefits can be terminated. Once someone is approved for disability benefits, the SSA initiations periodic reviews. During these reviews, the SSA looks to see if the individual still has a “qualifying disability.”
If you are approved for disability benefits, you are responsible for telling the SSA if:
- You have experienced a change in your ability to work;
- You have returned to work; or
- Your medical condition has improved.
“What if during a periodic review, the SSA determines that I no longer have a qualifying disability and my benefits are terminated?” If you disagree with the SSA’s decision or if you have questions about your benefit amount, please contact The Zendeh Del Law Firm, PLLC.
If you are denied SSDI benefits or if they are canceled, we can help you file an appeal. Your appeal request must be in writing and received by the SSA within 60 days of the date you received the letter explaining the SSA’s adverse decision in the mail.
