If a social security disability is approved,is payment retroactive to the onset of your condition or app. date

Question

(date of original application for benefits)

Answer 1

If it is about SSDI - Social Security payments will start after 5 months of waiting period, f.ex. if you became disabled on 01/10/2008 - the first payment will be for July'08.

Answer 2

Social Security Disabilty Insurance has a five-month waiting period from the time of application for benefits before payments begin. If you are initially approved, your payments will actually begin in the sixth month. If you are not initially approved for benefits, but you are approved at a later date, your payments will be retroactive back to five months after your initial application date.

You may also apply for SSI to be paid during the waiting period, depending on household income during that period of time.

I applied for SSDI in Sept., 2006, was approved, and payments began in March, 2007.

You cannot apply, unless you have documentaion from your physician which says your are totally disabled. What causes delay sometimes is the S.S. physician who rejects the application.

Definition of total disability for SSDI puposes is: Unable to perform work of any kind, and your condition is to last at least 12 months. Or, you are not expected to live beyond 12 months. (paraphrazed)

Sometimes, in order to get approved, you have to hire an attorney, who will take 40% of your back-pay when you finally get approved for benefits.

Answer 3

SSDI has a five month waiting period, from the time a doctor says you're totally disabled (unable to work ANY kind of job).  

So it goes back to five months AFTER the doctor says you're totally disabled.  Not the application date.