Once you go through an extensive application process to obtain the SSD benefits you need, you may have to endure another difficult process if the Social Security Administration (SSA) conducts a review to determine if your condition has improved sufficiently to return to work. Although the SSDI review process may be necessary, it can result in errors that leave you unable to pay your bills because you are not physically ready to return to work.
Naturally, if you recover sufficiently to return to your former employment or to another type of job, you are expected to notify the SSA of your change in status. However, the SSA also uses three criteria to determine when they should conduct a review of your disability:
- Expected medical improvement cases have the greatest likelihood of significant healing within a relatively short time frame. They are normally reviewed within six to 18 months after benefits begin.
- Possible medical improvement claims include conditions that can potentially heal over time with no guarantees of timely or sufficient improvement. These cases are not typically reviewed until three years after benefits begin.
- Not expected medical improvement cases have little or no possibility of a future return to work, typically qualifying as permanent disability. Even these cases, however, undergo occasional review, though no sooner than seven years after benefits begin.
Of course, no one recovers according to a specific set schedule and an SSA review of your disability may fail to disclose pertinent details that prevent you from working. If you believe you are disabled past the date when the SSA chooses to stop your benefits, you need to act quickly and supply compelling evidence that helps ensure your benefits continue as long as you reasonably need them.
You do not want to experience an interruption in SSD benefits due to an incorrect determination by the SSA. As soon as you receive notification of an imminent review, contact a skilled Cincinnati Social Security Disability attorney. Your lawyer can help you understand the review process — and be prepared to protect your rights to continue receiving disability benefits.