Waiting for SSDI Benefits: What You Should Know

If you are seriously injured and cannot work, or if you are diagnosed with a serious condition that will prevent you from working for an extended period of time, you may be planning to seek disability benefits through the Social Security Administration (SSA). Even if you meet the eligibility requirements, most people are surprised to learn about the waiting period and how much time will pass before they can start receiving benefits. In short, you should not expect to begin receiving benefits immediately unless you have a particularly serious type of disability that can allow your application to be fast-tracked. There are two general waiting periods: the waiting period after you submit your application, and the required five-month waiting period until you begin receiving benefits.

What do you need to know about waiting for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) payments? Our national disability lawyers can provide you with more information.

Applications Take Months to Process 

When you initially apply for SSDI benefits, you should not expect a quick turnaround. Indeed, most applications take months to process, and according to the SSA, the goal is for initial disability claims to be processed within 7 months from the date they are received. Sometimes applications can take even longer to process.

Most People Will Have a Five-Month Waiting Period 

For most people seeking SSDI benefits, there will be a five-month waiting period, and this waiting period will start from the date that the SSA determines that your disability began rather than the date your application is approved. But you will not receive your first payment during the fifth month after your disability began. Rather you will begin receiving a benefit payment in the “sixth full month after the date we find that your disability began,” according to the SSA.

Certain Medical Conditions Can Qualify for a Faster Process and Payment of Benefits 

If your disability is based on a certain medical condition, you may not have to wait out that five-month period to receive benefits, or your application could be eligible to be fast-tracked through the SSA’s disability determination system. As the SSA explains, if your disability is due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), you do not have to wait through the five-month waiting period.

The SSA also has a “Compassionate Allowances” program that allows disabled adults with certain conditions to have their applications fast-tracked. Those conditions according to the SSA “primarily include certain cancers, adult brain disorders, and a number of rare disorders that affect children.” The Compassionate Allowances program is designed to ensure that people who have “the most serious disabilities” get their applications approved and payments set quickly.

 Contact Our National Disability Benefits Lawyers Today 

To ensure that you begin receiving SSDI payments as soon as you are eligible, it is essential you work with one of the experienced national SSDI benefits lawyers at the Law Offices of Stephen Barszcz to get your initial application filed quickly and fully, and to determine whether you are eligible for having your SSDI application fast-tracked. If you have any questions, or if you are ready to begin working on your SSDI application, contact us today for assistance.

Sources:

ssa.gov/benefits/disability/approval.html#:~:text=Generally%2C%20if%20your%20application%20for,find%20that%20your%20disability%20began

ssa.gov/securitystat/disability-processing-time#:~:text=The%20SecurityStat%20process&text=Process%20initial%20disability%20claims%20within,review%2C%20to%20make%20a%20decision