"IT'S GOING TO TAKE HOW LONG?"
Disability strikes suddenly and often unexpectedly. Individuals file for Social Security benefits, then panic when they learn that it can take 2 years or longer to get benefits started.
Here are some painful but useful truths you need to know about Social Security disability.
Truth 1: SSDI does not pay for the first full 5 months of a disability. If you become disabled, for example, on 6/10/18, and are approved, your benefits are excluded from July through November. This is called the "waiting period." In this case, you would become eligible for a payment in November, but would not receive the check until December--because benefits are paid one month in the arrears.
Truth 2: It usually takes about 4 months just to get a decision on your disability application. No benefits are paid during this time.
Truth 3: Social Security denies about 70 percent of all disability claims. If this happens to you, it will require an additional 18 to 24 months for the appeal process to give you a new decision. No benefits are payable during the long appeal.
Truth 4: Not everyone is covered by Social Security disability--even if they are disabled. SSDI requires that you have worked long enough (and recently enough) and paid into the system before you can get a benefit. Rule of thumb: most people must have worked at least 5 out of the last 10 year period to be covered.
Truth 5: Your Social Security benefit may not be enough to live on. The average SSDI benefit is around $1,150 per month. Some are less, some are more, of course. Your actual benefit will be determined by your age, how long you have worked and how much your wages have been.
Plan ahead before you lose your income to a disability. Take advantage of every other resource available. Do not rely on Social Security.
1. Find out if your employer offers a group disability insurance plan. Many do. If so, try to get enrolled. This plan can be a life-saver if you become disabled while working. These plans are usually affordable and may even be free.
2. Save some money for an emergency. Put aside a regular amount, even if it's a small amount, and keep it for a time you really need it. I recommend at least 6 months salary in savings. And this probably won't be enough in a disability crisis.
3. Try to get some professional help with your Social Security disability claim. I know you will be told that you can do it yourself, and you can. However, the odds are against you and some good advice can potentially save you time and get you paid quicker. I see so many careless, avoidable mistakes on Social Security claims that it makes me cringe. And an advocate or attorney will not charge you one dime until after your claim is paid and your back pay is in the bank.
Here's what I hope you are seeing: Social Security may be a good long-range resource for disabled individuals; however, it is not quick. You must have something else to fall back on while you wait on a very slow, very bogged down government agency to process your claim or appeal. It simply is not going to be fast!
If everything goes just right, it will take about 6 months to get a Social Security check. And if you get denied, it will take much longer.
THE FORSYTHE FIRM
7027 Old Madison Pike - Suite 108
"Across from Bridge Street"
Huntsville, AL 35806
PH (256) 799-0297
Here are some painful but useful truths you need to know about Social Security disability.
Truth 1: SSDI does not pay for the first full 5 months of a disability. If you become disabled, for example, on 6/10/18, and are approved, your benefits are excluded from July through November. This is called the "waiting period." In this case, you would become eligible for a payment in November, but would not receive the check until December--because benefits are paid one month in the arrears.
Truth 2: It usually takes about 4 months just to get a decision on your disability application. No benefits are paid during this time.
Truth 3: Social Security denies about 70 percent of all disability claims. If this happens to you, it will require an additional 18 to 24 months for the appeal process to give you a new decision. No benefits are payable during the long appeal.
Truth 4: Not everyone is covered by Social Security disability--even if they are disabled. SSDI requires that you have worked long enough (and recently enough) and paid into the system before you can get a benefit. Rule of thumb: most people must have worked at least 5 out of the last 10 year period to be covered.
Truth 5: Your Social Security benefit may not be enough to live on. The average SSDI benefit is around $1,150 per month. Some are less, some are more, of course. Your actual benefit will be determined by your age, how long you have worked and how much your wages have been.
Plan ahead before you lose your income to a disability. Take advantage of every other resource available. Do not rely on Social Security.
1. Find out if your employer offers a group disability insurance plan. Many do. If so, try to get enrolled. This plan can be a life-saver if you become disabled while working. These plans are usually affordable and may even be free.
2. Save some money for an emergency. Put aside a regular amount, even if it's a small amount, and keep it for a time you really need it. I recommend at least 6 months salary in savings. And this probably won't be enough in a disability crisis.
3. Try to get some professional help with your Social Security disability claim. I know you will be told that you can do it yourself, and you can. However, the odds are against you and some good advice can potentially save you time and get you paid quicker. I see so many careless, avoidable mistakes on Social Security claims that it makes me cringe. And an advocate or attorney will not charge you one dime until after your claim is paid and your back pay is in the bank.
Here's what I hope you are seeing: Social Security may be a good long-range resource for disabled individuals; however, it is not quick. You must have something else to fall back on while you wait on a very slow, very bogged down government agency to process your claim or appeal. It simply is not going to be fast!
If everything goes just right, it will take about 6 months to get a Social Security check. And if you get denied, it will take much longer.THE FORSYTHE FIRM
7027 Old Madison Pike - Suite 108
"Across from Bridge Street"
Huntsville, AL 35806
PH (256) 799-0297
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