There are some government-sponsored programs to help with disability income as you await a decision on your application or once you have been approved. These include Unemployment, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and state-mandated short-term disability insurance (available only in five states).
While you wait for disability benefits to be approved, consider seeking assistance through other local, state, and federal support programs. These may include: Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
Generally, it takes about 3 to 5 months to get a decision. However, the exact time depends on how long it takes to get your medical records and any other evidence needed to make a decision. * How does Social Security make the decision? We send your application to a state agency that makes disability decisions.
Making Too Much Money. To qualify for disability benefits, a person must not be able to engage in substantial gainful activity (SGA) earning up to a certain amount. If you are able to make more than the SGA, then you will not qualify. For 2022 the threshold is $1,350 per month.
You can earn income while waiting for Disability, but earning over a certain amount can put your Disability claim in jeopardy. As of 2022, according to the Social Security Administration (SSA), anyone earning over $1350 a month will probably not qualify for benefits.
If you have a qualifying disability and work despite your disability, you may continue to receive payments until your earnings, added with any other income, exceed the SSI income limits. This limit is different in every state.
#1: Lack of Hard Medical Evidence
Many Social Security Disability claims are denied due to a lack of solid medical evidence. If you want to qualify for disability benefits you will need to prove that you are unable to work due to your disabling condition.
Because there are so many applications that are filed each year, it takes time for the SSA to process and review each one. This review time can take anywhere from 3 to 6 months on average. Most people have their initial application denied. It doesn't mean that your case is over and that you should give up.
Generally, if your application for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is approved, you must wait five months before you can receive your first SSDI benefit payment. This means you would receive your first payment in the sixth full month after the date we find that your disability began.
Using federal laws, regulations, and Agency policies and procedures, the state agency completes the disability decision for Social Security. In addition, the Social Security Administration (SSA) reviews a sample of initial disability claims prior to a final determination.
If your claim is for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for disability or blindness, we may make presumptive disability (PD) or presumptive blindness (PB) payments for up to 6 months while you are waiting for the Disability Determination Services (DDS) to make a final decision.
The answer to the question, “How many times can you get denied for disability?” is there is not a limit established by the SSA for the number of times an applicant can submit a disability claim. However, the answer to the question, “How many times should I apply for disability benefits” should be one.
Work & Disability Benefits
When many people begin researching whether they qualify for Social Security disability benefits, one of the first questions that will arise is: do I need to quit my current job in order to obtain benefits? The short answer is no!
A couple can get SSI if they have unearned income of less than $1,281 a month in 2022. Because a larger portion of earned income isn't counted, a person who gets SSI can earn up to $1,767 a month ($2,607 for a couple) and still get SSI.
SSI has a program to encourage states to pay temporary cash payments to disability applicants who are awaiting a decision from Social Security on SSI benefits. (Social Security will reimburse a state that has paid interim assistance (IA) once that applicant is approved for SSI benefits.
Some of the most common conditions that qualify for SSDI include different forms of cancer, blindness, respiratory diseases like COPD, digestive disorders like IBD, chronic kidney disease, dermatitis, epilepsy, and anxiety to name a few.
Here are the most common reasons for denial: You still have the ability to do work you've done in the past. You have the ability to do a different type of work that's less demanding. You haven't followed your doctor's treatment recommendations, and Social Security thinks your condition might improve if you did.