How Long Can You Collect Social Security Disability Until Review?
A continuing disability review (CDR) is a reassessment that the Social Security Administration (SSA) conducts every few years to ensure that you are still deserving of disability benefits. The review includes a medical check as well as a redetermination of non-medical requirements such as income limits. If the SSA finds that you are no longer disabled, or if you no longer meet the non-medical requirements of the program, you would stop receiving the benefits.
How Often Does Social Security Disability Review Your Case?
Typically, the SSA conducts a CDR once every three years or every seven years, depending on whether your medical condition is expected to improve. The more likely the improvement, the sooner you can expect a CDR. The agency uses computer-scoring models to determine the likelihood of your medical improvement. It is also possible that the SSA will decide to perform a CDR sooner than three years or later than seven years, depending again on the outlook of your disability.
A Review Every Three Years Or Less
According to the SSA, they are required by law to conduct a medical CDR at least once every three years, unless your disability is expected to improve sooner. In actuality, the SSA may conduct the review even as soon as six months, especially if your medical improvement is likely.
Other events may also call for a CDR sooner than expected. For example, if you decide to start working again, the SSA may consider this a signal to review your disability. The agency may also reach out to you for a review if a new treatment has been found for your disabling condition.
For disabled children who are beneficiaries of the SSA, a CDR may also be done sooner. For instance, if a child is turning 18, the SSA will conduct a review two months before his or her 18th birthday. This is to determine whether the child will still be eligible for disability benefits under the adult criteria. Another situation that triggers an early CDR is if the child recipient has been found disabled due to low birth weight – in this situation, a CDR is conducted by age 1.
A Review Every Seven Years Or More
If the SSA determines that your disability is less likely to get better, the CDR will still be necessary, but only once every seven years. However, the agency considers full medical reviews to be expensive, so before they proceed to this, they will send you what is called a mailer. This is a questionnaire that asks you for additional information, which the SSA will use to decide if a full medical review is indeed appropriate for your case.
For recipients with permanent disabilities, such as a lost limb or a mental impairment, the SSA will still conduct CDRs, but it may be less frequent than every seven years. CDRs are also known to be less frequent for beneficiaries who are older than 50.
Preparing For Continuing Disability Review
The SSA will send you a CDR notice when they have decided to perform your review. Even so, you’ll want to be aware of the likelihood of your medical improvement so you can better prepare for your CDR.
It is best for you to maintain a good relationship with your doctors and healthcare providers, as this can help you understand your condition better. In addition, keep copies of all relevant documentation such as medical records, and compile them in preparation for a CDR. If there is a change in your mailing address, remember to inform the SSA so you can receive any CDR notice they send.
How To Pass a Continuing Disability Review
The review is not something to be anxious about. More than 90 percent of adults who undergo a CDR retain their benefits. But if you have any questions at all about how and when the CDR will be conducted, you’ll want to consult a knowledgeable professional such as a disability lawyer. This way, you avoid any confusion or mistake that can cost you your benefits. Talk to us at the Gillette Law Group at (855) 873-2604.
