The Top Ways in Which Your SSDI Benefits May be Terminated

In most cases, people who are approved for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) receive benefit checks for many years to come.  However, there are certain things that may cause a person’s benefits to be terminated.  In the event that you are applying for benefits or currently receive them, it is important to understand the ways in which you could lose your benefits so as to prevent this from happening to you.  The top reasons why most people’s benefits suddenly stop are as follows:

  1. Your symptoms dramatically improve.  If the symptoms that rendered you disabled substantially improve, your SSDI benefits may be terminated.  Periodically, the Social Security Administration (SSA) reviews the current status of its benefit recipients’ cases to determine whether they are still disabled to the point where ongoing benefits are necessary.  Known as “continuing benefits reviews”, these are considerably less strict then the SSA’s initial SSDI application review however, they nonetheless may end up terminating your benefits.  The good news is that most SSDI beneficiaries continue to receive benefits following this review.
  2. 2.      You returned to work.  If you go back to work while still collecting benefits, the SSA will review whether you are engaging in a “substantial gainful activity.” Also known as SGA, if someone is currently earning more than $1,040 (for blind people the amount is slightly higher at $1,740), you could be denied ongoing benefits.  There are a number of exceptions to this rule, including the SSA’s “trial work program”, which allows a person to work without automatically losing their benefits.  Otherwise stated, the SSA offers the person a trial period by which they can return to work, continue to collect SSDI, and determine whether they are capable of handling their job on a long term basis.  
  3. 3.      You reach retirement age.  No person can receive both SSDI and retirement benefits at the same time.  Hence, when you reach retirement age, your SSDI benefits will end.  Visit the SSA’s retirement age calculator for more information. 
  4. 4.      You have been imprisoned or institutionalized. While this depends upon the circumstances, if you are convicted of a crime or institutionalized for a certain period of time, your benefits will temporarily cease.  However, certain crimes may be egregious enough that the SSA will permanently terminate one’s SSDI benefits. 

If you require assistance in applying for SSDI benefits or appealing a termination decision by the SSA, contact the Sanger Law Office at 785-979-4353.  We will take the time necessary to evaluate your case and advise you of all of your legal options.  We look forward to providing you with excellent legal representation.

 

Comments are closed.