Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits support people who cannot work due to medical issues. People who have enough of a work history to qualify can claim SSDI benefits when disabling medical conditions leave them completely unable to work and are likely to last for 12 months or longer.
Eligibility for SSDI benefits is not instantaneous. In many cases, applicants must wait to become eligible for benefits even after they become unable to work. How soon after becoming completely disabled can SSDI payments begin?
The date of onset determines when benefits start
The Social Security Administration (SSA) looks at when a professional becomes incapable of working. That may not necessarily be the date of their diagnosis. The date of disability onset is when the countdown for SSDI eligibility begins.
With some exceptions for those with terminal and catastrophic medical conditions, most applicants only qualify to begin receiving benefits once they have had a disabling medical condition for at least five months. Depending on how quickly people apply for benefits and whether they must appeal after submitting their initial paperwork, they may need to wait even longer than five months for payments to actually begin.
In cases where denials result in late approvals, SSDI applicants may be eligible for backdated benefits that begin five months after the onset of their condition. Appealing is often worthwhile specifically because of those backdated benefits.
Working with an SSDI benefits lawyer can help people understand their rights, manage paperwork and optimize the benefits they receive. The sooner people apply for SSDI benefits, the less likely they are to face delays when they are eligible for payments.