Q: Who qualifies for social security benefits when on disability?
A: To receive social security benefits due to an injury, you must meet some requirements. You must have been working and insured at the time of your injury. You must have been employed for five out of the previous ten years as a mimimum. It is required that your job was covered by Social Security. To be eligible for disability and receive social security benefits, you cannot be older than the Social Security Retirement age. Lastly, you must demonstrate that your injury will not allow you to work for at least a year. The Social Security Administration does not extend benefits to individuals with partial or short term disabilities.
Q: When will social security benefits stop?
A: Social security benefits will continue until a person no longer suffers from the medical condition that made him unable to work. The payments would end the second month after the injury is no longer present. Social security benefits would also end if a person reaches retirement age and is eligible for retirement benefits. Disability benefits would be converted to retirement benefits. Your file will be evaluated regularly in order to verify the status of your injury. You do not, however, need to reapply for disability benefits, if the status of your injury and employment has not changed.
If a person has been notified of approval, when will he receive his first payment for social security benefits?
A: A person must be out of the workforce due to the medical condition for a minimum of five months before social security benefits can begin. Payments will usually begin the sixth month. If you are still awaiting initial approval, it is difficult to predict when you will receive notice of a decision. How long it takes to receive requested medical records is what dictates the length of processing time in most cases. The disability examiner cannot make a decision about your case until he has reviewed your medical records. In most cases, the application review process takes three or four months.