It isn’t always easy to go through the application process for Social Security Disability benefits. The Social Security Administration turns down most applications on the first try, and so most applicants have to go through a process of reapplication. They may need to argue their case at a hearing with the help of a Social Security Disability attorney.
After you have gone through all this work and started to receive your benefits, you may hope you don’t have to deal with the Social Security Administration bureaucracy again. However, SSD recipients must periodically go through some sort of renewal process to continue receiving the benefits they need.
Continuing Disability Review
Your benefits are supposed to continue as long as your disability prevents you from working. However, the SSA requires regular checks to see if benefits recipients are still disabled. The agency calls these checks Continuing Disability Reviews.
The SSA decides how often to conduct a Continuing Disability Review based on the recipient’s health condition. In cases involving a recipient who is expected to recover from their disability, the SSA typically reviews the medical condition within 6-18 months. In cases where recovery is considered possible, the SSA typically conducts a review every three years. If recovery is not expected, the SSA typically reviews the medical condition every seven years.
The SSA notifies recipients about when they should expect a review at the same time it gives them an initial notice that they have been awarded benefits.
Why the SSA might stop paying benefits
In general, there are two things that can convince the SSA to stop paying your disability benefits. First, it may decide that your medical condition has improved, and you are no longer disabled. If you have experienced improvement in your condition, you have a duty to report it to the SSA.
Second, it may decide that your earnings have disqualified you from the benefits program. Typically, this involves a nine-month trial work period. If, after you complete the period, your earnings are above the level the SSA considers substantial, the agency will cease paying you benefits.
Restarting benefits
If the SSA has stopped paying you benefits, you do have the right to contest its findings at a hearing. This can be a highly technical process, and it is important to have help from a Social Security Disability attorney.