How We Review Your Disability Benefits
Reading Time: 2 MinutesLast Updated: April 14, 2016
When you receive disability benefits, Social Security will periodically conduct a review of your condition to make sure you still qualify for blind or disability benefits. With the right information, you can be prepared when this happens.
When your case comes up for review, we’ll send you a letter asking you to come to your local Social Security office. We’ll ask you about how your medical condition affects you and whether it’s improved. We’ll also ask you to bring information about your medical treatment and any work you have performed since Social Security decided you were disabled.
A disability examiner from your state’s Disability Determination Services will request reports from your medical providers, and will carefully review all the information in your case. If the medical evidence is not complete or current, we may ask you to have a medical exam at no cost to you.
Social Security conducts a disability review of your case approximately every three years depending on the nature and severity of your medical condition and whether it’s expected to improve. If we don’t expect improvement, we’ll review your case every seven years.
When we conduct a disability review, if we find that your medical condition hasn’t improved and is still preventing you from working, you’ll continue to receive benefits. Your benefits only stop if the evidence shows your medical condition has improved and you are able to work regularly.
If you disagree with our decision, you can appeal and ask us to look at your case again. When we notify you of our decision, we will explain how you can appeal that decision.
You can visit us online for more information, or read our publication What You Need to Know When You Get Social Security Disability Benefits.
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Tags: Disability
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Doug Walker, Deputy Commissioner, Communications
Deputy Commissioner, Office of Communications
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Anonymous
To Whom It May Concern:
I failed to respond to a Social Security redetermination request sent to me back on December 20, 2016 after they sent me a follow-up on December 29, 2016.
However, I spent quality time with family over the holidays, my phone hasn’t been working, there was a snow storm which lasted two weeks during the first week of January, and I’ve been down with the cold this past week. All the conditions for a perfect storm, basically! 🙁
I was supposed to respond by phone by January 15, 2017. However, I didn’t check my mail until very, very late last night.
As I have mild to moderate schizophrenia, do I need to be worried about losing my SSI benefits at this point? I’m really really scared I’ll fall through the cracks!
Please help!
Sincerely,
— Scared in Oregon
Catherine
My SSI monthly paymnents benefits have been substantially reduced (from $980 to $502). My family helped me with credit card debt so now SSI claims I have help with food and shelter. However the debt was not for food and shelter or clothing. I have credit card records of all my purchases, but not itemized receipts. I know that I don’t buy food at, for example, Rite Aid or Walmart, but without itemized receipts a I can’t prove that my family didn’t pay for food or clothing. So save your receipts everyone!
My question is:
I would like to know what happens now when I reach retirement age (is it 66 for SSI recipients too?) Will my SSI payments be fixed at this new low rate of $502 per month?
Thank you.
R.F.
Hi Catherine. We have strict guidelines that apply to individuals receiving benefits under the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. For SSI eligibility, we will take into consideration any income and resources available to you. Income also includes such things as food and shelter, and any cash you receive from friends and relatives. Also, if an SSI recipient is insured and qualifies on his or her own record for their own retirement benefit, they are required to apply at age 62. Please call our toll free number at 1-800-772-1213 for further assistance. Representatives are available Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. We hope this information helps!
Topcat
I have been on disability for about 6 years I had one review and they kept me on disability I had an injury but the doctors refused to operate do to my heart. So I cannot medically improve and lost my job now I am 64 and still have the same condition should I worry about another review before I turn 66. I heard that social security will try to take you off disability before you turn 66 so that you get a reduced amount off ssi is this true
Fuck Y.
Take the no good Motherfucking Cocksucking Piece of Shit Disability Benefits and Stick it so FUCKING far up your FUCKING limp dick ass Motherfuckers. Fuck Disability Benefits, Fuck The Social Security Administration, Fuck that Cocksucker Obama.
Tiffany R.
How Do I obtain a review letter replacement? I received a review letter stating I would not be required for another review in the next 5-7 years and need another copy of that letter to send to the student loan TDP agency.
Thanks
R.F.
Hi Tiffany. Please call our toll free number at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) and request a copy of the letter. Representatives are available Monday through Friday between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Generally, you’ll have a shorter wait time if you call later in the day or later in the week. Thanks.
Brenna
My husband has been getting ssi since birth and all of a sudden he is getting “revoewed” every couple of months!!! When does the harassment stop!!!!! It’s out of control!!! We are talking to our lawyer.
R.F.
Hi Brenna. We understand that a medical review can be stressful. We conduct medical reviews from time to time to make sure individuals are still disabled, and we only evaluate factors that permanently affect their ability to work. Also, we obtain and consider medical evidence from their doctor or other medical sources, if needed. For other factors that we can consider in reviewing your husband’s disability status, please read our publication, “What You Need to Know: Reviewing Your Disability”. We hope this information helps.
Heather H.
My father became disabled almost 3 years ago due to peripheral neuropathy. He can’t stand for more than a few minutes, can’t walk for very long, sometimes loses the ability to walk. His medication makes him forgetful, he can’t learn, and it also causes him to sleep either all day or at random times. His doctors have told him he will only get worse. He contacted an attorney or family has known for years to help him file, and has been giving him all paperwork he can from doctors, everything that’s asked for but the attorney has misplaced paperwork, provided incorrect address information leading to letters from the SS office being missed, and has even told my dad he doesn’t know what paperwork my dad should send in. He’s been trying for 3 years to get benefits. He received a letter nearly 6 months ago saying he should expect a court date to be assigned soon. He’s out of money, living on credit cards, and plans to kill himself when he can no longer pay rent. What the hell makes this process take so long? Is there anything we can do to speed things up?
Ashley
During ur yearly review do they stop payments or do u still get ur ssi?
Ryan
For those individuals receiving disability benefits under the Social Security Disability Insurance program, we automatically convert their disability benefits to retirement benefits when they attain their Full Retirement Age. Generally, the benefit amount remains the same.
What happens when a person on Social Security Disability opts for early retirement? Remove the stress of Social Security reviews.
This page has the example, full retirement age, 67.
Social Security
Retirement Planner: Full Retirement Age
62, 30% reduction
63, 25% reduction
64, 20% reduction
65, 13.3% reduction
66, 6.7% reduction
Suppose you started receiving $1,000 a month in SSD benefits at age 60. You go early retirement at 62.
Does your benefit reduce 30%? $700 a month. Or do you receive 30% less, of what your Social Security benefit Would Have Been? Someone at Social Security would have a rough idea of that amount, based on the $1,000 SSD.
While everyone’s amounts would be different, it would be a help to know how Social Security benefits would calculated in the gap years. Example, 62-66.
Blanche
It would be the same..However, don’t take early retirement and stay on SSDI .Your benefit is the same as if you retired at 66 now.
Blanche
Sorry your benefit would be 30% less if you retire at 62..Your SSDI benefit is $1,000. which is the SAME amount you would get at Full retirement age
Peggy
I think maybe when enough people begin to harm themselves because they can’t handle the stress and the poverty of waiting and losing everything that they had I think maybe they’ll figure out another way to see to these cases and more of a timely matter because the waiting is just too hard