Social Security Disability Benefits Not Easy Even After Approval

Introduction

Main Digest

Allsup explains important help representatives provide when SSDI benefits hit roadblocks.

Even after getting approval for Social Security disability benefits, people can run into hurdles before those funds start arriving, according to Allsup, which represents tens of thousands of people in the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) process each year.

"Problems and errors with dates, lump-sum payment amounts and regular monthly benefit amounts can occur once SSDI benefits have been approved," said Jim Allsup, CEO and founder of Allsup, which provides financial and healthcare-related services to people with severe or permanent disabilities that prevent them from working. "The issues create more headaches for the claimant, who already may have waited years for these benefits to begin.

"That's where a company like Allsup steps in--we are driven to ensure that the details of your case and that your SSDI benefits are accurate," Mr. Allsup said.

SSDI is a federally mandated insurance program overseen by the Social Security Administration (SSA) that operates separately from the retirement and SSI programs. SSDI provides monthly benefits to individuals who are under full retirement age (age 65 or older) and who can no longer work because of a disability (injury, illness or condition) that is expected to last for at least 12 months or is terminal. Individuals must have paid FICA taxes to be eligible. More details are provided in the SSDI Overview on Allsup.com.

Hurdles To SSDI Benefits, After Approval A number of factors can create confusion and obstacles to receiving those funds once SSDI benefits are awarded.

In Allsup's 25 years of providing representation to claimants, their specialists have helped people with disabilities resolve issues relating to their date of application, their onset date of disability, and a number of other factors that can tie up the eventual receipt of lump-sum payments and benefits. This saves time for you and ensures your benefits begin correctly and at the earliest time possible.

"The SSA is coping with huge amounts of paperwork, a tremendous amount of data and thousands of claims for people," Mr. Allsup said. "It's not surprising that there are going to be a number of details that have to get finalized so someone's benefits can begin. In some cases, mistakes happen that can cause tremendous problems for claimants."

Allsup's representatives have identified and resolved a number of circumstances for claimants, including experiences such as the following:

• A woman who was awarded SSDI benefits but whose claim was listed with an incorrect application date. Claimants who eventually are awarded benefits will receive a lump-sum payment that dates back to when they first applied for SSDI benefits. In cases where that date is incorrect, someone could be paid less or more than they are owed.
• A man who was awarded SSDI benefits for only one year, when those benefits should have been ongoing. There are claimants who receive benefits for a specific period of time ("closed-period benefits"), such as a year or two. Allsup finds and corrects cases where the benefits should be ongoing and mistakenly are listed as benefits for a limited time period.
• A woman whose benefit start date was calculated incorrectly, meaning she would have missed several months of benefits. Claimants who are awarded SSDI benefits do not receive those benefits until five months after their date of disability; known as the date of entitlement to cash benefits. Sometimes errors in dates can result in several months of lost benefits unless they are corrected.

"These are all cases where Allsup stepped in to provide the correct information and made sure that our claimants were getting what they deserved," said Mr. Allsup.

Choosing representation from a company like Allsup means that people with disabilities have someone working on their behalf to get through the SSDI process, including the post-award process when those cash benefits begin, he said.

Allsup specialists communicate with SSA officials through phone calls and correspondence. They monitor the progress of your SSDI case throughout the process, including the time period after award and through the steps of lump-sum payments and regular monthly benefits.

There are a number of additional benefits to choosing representation. For more insights and guidance to help you with your SSDI application, visit Choosing Disability Representation and getting SSDI representation.

Reference: Allsup, Belleville, Ill., is a leading nationwide provider of financial and healthcare related services to people with disabilities. Celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2009, Allsup has helped more than 110,000 people receive their entitled Social Security Disability Insurance and Medicare benefits. Allsup employs more than 550 professionals who deliver services directly to consumers and their families, or through their employers and long-term disability insurance carriers. For more information, visit www.Allsup.com

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Cite This Page (APA): Allsup. (2009, March 24 - Last revised: 2013, June 17). Social Security Disability Benefits Not Easy Even After Approval. Disabled World. Retrieved September 7, 2024 from www.disabled-world.com/disability/social-security/usa/disability-benefits-approval.php

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