Social Security disability applicants often wait several months to receive a final decision from the Social Security Administration (SSA) on whether they qualify for benefits. Many of these people are understandably anxious to know if they have been approved and eager to start receiving disability benefits.
However, once an applicant is approved for SSDI benefits, he or she does not immediately begin receiving disability benefits. First, applicants will receive an award letter from the SSA that explains how much benefits the applicant will receive each month and when the applicant will be eligible to begin receiving these monthly payments.
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Arrears
The SSA is delinquent on payments, which means the recipient receives a monthly check not for the current month, but for the previous month. This setting generally does not affect the payee's payment timing, except for the time the payee waits for his or her first check.
SSDI mandatory waiting period
For SSDI benefits specifically, the SSA imposes a mandatory five-month waiting period before applicants can begin receiving benefits. This waiting period begins on the date the applicant becomes ill or the date the SSA determines the applicant's disability began. For example, if an applicant is disabled in an accident on April 1, the earliest he or she can be eligible to begin receiving SSDI benefits is October. The extra months in the period reflect the time required to earn benefits under the default payment system.
For potential SSDI applicants, the waiting period can seem daunting. One thing to keep in mind is that by the time a claimant is approved for benefits, the waiting phase is usually over, as the process of getting approved for disability benefits takes a long time.
SSDI benefit amount
SSDI benefits are special in that they are based on the applicant's average lifetime earnings before the disability began. They are not based on how severe the applicant's disability is or how much income the applicant makes.
If an applicant is approved for SSDI benefits, the monthly benefit he or she will receive will be based on the amount of income the applicant earned before becoming disabled and the amount of work the applicant has done in recent years. Most SSDI recipients receive between $700 and $1,700 per month. In 2015, the average monthly payment for all SSDI beneficiaries was $1,165.
SSDI direct deposit
In the past, SSA has offered recipients with disabilities the option to sign up to have monthly checks deposited directly into their checking accounts. This is a good option for welfare recipients as it is the safest and fastest way to receive your monthly payment.
The SSA now requires beneficiaries to receive their monthly benefits electronically. Beneficiaries can choose to receive benefits via direct deposit or through a program called Direct Express, in which benefits are deposited onto a prepaid debit card.
If you are seeking help obtaining SSD benefits and are applying for the first time, or if you have been denied SSDI benefits, please consider The Good Law Group for your representation. Contact us online for a free case evaluation, or call (847)577-4476.
