If you qualify for Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits, you may receive payments every month for as long as you are unable to work due to a disability. You can apply for and get SSD payments with the assistance of an SSDI benefits attorney, who can also respond to all of your inquiries concerning the SSD program.
It can take a long time—often more than a year—to apply for and receive approval for Social Security Disability benefits. In order to be eligible for benefits, you frequently need to file a second appeal after your initial claim was denied.
Many applicants inquire about “back pay” from the time they became incapacitated because the Social Security Administration (SSA) application procedure takes so long. It can be awarded, but with a few restrictions. Learn how that back pay is determined and when you might anticipate receiving it by continuing to read. Then contact PLBH at (800) 435-7542 for a free legal consultation.
How Long Does It Often Take to Get SSD Benefits?
There may be a significant amount of time between the date you apply for your SSD benefits and the date you receive an approval or denial of your application because of the backlog caused by the high volume of applications and the meticulous processing required for each application.
All applicants for Social Security Disability benefits must first wait five months, according to the Social Security Administration. Before you are “owed” Social Security Disability benefits, you must have been disabled for at least five months.
Beginning with the first day of the sixth month, you will be entitled to disability compensation. Because the average processing time for an initial disability judgement as of 2023 is already five to six months, the five-month “wait period” may not actually extend your wait for SSD benefits.
Unfortunately, you do not receive back pay for the five-month wait period because the SSA does not issue SSD benefits during that time. Your “date of entitlement” is five months after the date you become incapacitated, when Social Security first owes you SSD funds.
How is SSD Back Pay Handled?
You will get back payments for the months – with the exception of the first five – between the date you initially applied for disability benefits and the date you were accepted for those benefits once your Social Security Disability claim has been approved.
You will also get payment for any months that passed between the time you first applied for Social Security Disability payments and the day you first became disabled (the Social Security Administration refers to this as your “disability onset date”). These payments are referred to as “retroactive” benefits.
Even if you were disabled months or years earlier, you are only eligible for twelve months’ worth of retroactive payments. You will likely get a single lump-sum payment for the whole amount of SSD back pay that you are owed if the SSA confirms your application for benefits. About the same time as your first regular monthly benefit payment, that payment should arrive.
When Should You Speak with a Social Security Disability Lawyer?
If you have been disabled, you should not wait a year or even one month to file for Social Security Disability benefits. Before submitting an application for Social Security Disability payments, if you become disabled, speak with PLBH at (800) 435-7542 for a free legal consultation.
Your attorney will walk you through each stage of the SSD application procedure so that you can get your benefits as soon as possible. He or she will be aware of the procedures you need to follow in order to get the benefit payments you require and deserve.