How to Get SSDI Benefits and Avoid Losing Them
Author: Pavel Kuljuk
Published: 2024/08/31 - Updated: 2026/02/28
Publication Type: Informative
Category Topic: U.S. Social Security - Related Publications
Contents: Synopsis - Introduction - Main - Insights, Updates
Synopsis: This information outlines how Americans with disabilities can apply for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits and, more importantly, what actions and circumstances can cause those benefits to stop. Drawing directly from official Social Security Administration guidelines, it covers the five-month waiting period, the application process, the nine-month trial work period for beneficiaries who return to employment, and the continuing disability review process that evaluates whether a recipient's health has improved. It also addresses less obvious triggers for benefit termination - such as marriage, receiving gifts over certain thresholds, inheritance, and changes in living arrangements - that many SSDI recipients may not be aware of until payments are already at risk. With roughly 10% of disabled workers losing benefits in 2022 alone, this is a practical and timely reference for people with disabilities, their families, and benefits counselors navigating the rules that govern SSDI eligibility - Disabled World (DW).
- Definition: Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)
Social Security Disability Insurance, commonly known as SSDI, is a federal insurance program administered by the United States Social Security Administration that provides monthly cash benefits to individuals who are unable to work due to a qualifying medical disability. Eligibility is based on a worker's prior contributions to Social Security through payroll taxes, and applicants must pass a medical examination confirming that their condition meets SSA criteria for disability. Benefits include a five-month waiting period before payments begin, with exceptions for conditions such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and other compassionate allowance diagnoses. Once approved, recipients are subject to periodic continuing disability reviews, work activity limits including a nine-month trial work period within any 60-month window, and asset and income thresholds that can result in benefit termination if exceeded. As of 2022, approximately 8.9 million Americans received SSDI benefits, with an average monthly payment of $1,483.
Introduction
How to Obtain and Retain SSDI Benefits
The proportion of disabled people in American society is constantly growing. And this makes Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits more popular among the US population. This article is about how to get this benefit and what can deprive you of the right to receive this money.
Main Content
How to Get and Not Lose SSDI
The share of disabled people in American society increased from 12.7% in 2008 to 13.9% in 2022. In quantitative terms, the disabled community grew from 38,560,000 to 46,227,000 people. Of these, 8.9 million people received disability benefits in 2022. The average benefit was $1,483. Supplemental Security Income payments were another source of income for about one out of eight disabled beneficiaries.
How to Get Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)
Benefits are issued by SSA: The United States Social Security Administration. A special examination is needed for your disability claim, this is described in detail on the SSA website. If the results of the medical examination confirm your disability, you can apply for benefits. The process of receiving benefits is made as convenient as possible. Here is what is said about this on the SSA website:
You should apply as soon as you become disabled.
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits have a five month waiting period, which means that benefit payments will not begin before the sixth full month of disability. The SSDI waiting period begins the first full month after the date we decide your disability began.
There is no waiting period if your disability results from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) - or other listed compassionate allowance conditions - you are approved for SSDI benefits on or after July 23, 2020.
SSA pay Supplemental Security Income (SSI) disability benefits for the first full month after the date you filed your claim, or, if later, the date you become eligible for SSI.
How to Apply
You can apply for Disability benefits online, or if you are unable to complete the application online, you can apply by calling the toll-free number, 1-800-772-1213, between 8:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Our representatives can make an appointment for you to apply.
People who are deaf or hard of hearing may call the toll-free "TTY" number, 1-800-325-0778, between 8:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. on Monday through Friday".
Receiving benefits is not the end, but only the beginning of the story. Many reasons can lead to the termination of payments.
Main Reasons for Termination of Payments
Returning to work and improving health. These are two of the most common reasons why Social Security disability benefits end. Disability benefits can also end for a number of other reasons, such as reaching a certain age or changing living conditions.
Working
Citizens receiving SSDI are allowed to work 9 months within 60 months without losing the right to receive Disability benefits. This period is called the nine-month trial work period (TWP)* The length of the work period does not matter. The main thing is that the total period of work is not more than 9 months for every 60 calendar months. This is the period that disabled people can work regardless of the amount of salary.
A month is considered a working month if the income from work exceeds a certain amount. In 2023, this amount was $1050, in 2024 this value was $1110. The duration of working hours during the month is also important. But this rule is important not for hired workers, but for self-employed persons. For them, a month is considered a working month if a person worked more than 80 hours during the month.
In fact, if you do not violate the wage and hour requirements, you can work without the threat of losing SSDI.
To achieve this, it is very important to know that the salary you receive can be reduced by expenses related to disability. For example, if you go to work using a guide dog. The expenses for this animal can be deducted from the total salary, making the salary smaller. To do this, you need to confirm all expenses. That is, keep receipts. These documents must be submitted to the Social Security Service.
It is also very important to report your income for each month of work to your local social security office every month. If you do not do this on time, your benefits may be canceled! To avoid this, you must send a registered letter with a copy of your pay slips and any work expenses by the 10th of the month following the month in which you work.
As we can see, not only the fact of work itself is important, but also correct reporting on the work.
Improving Health
Disability benefits can be lost if your health has improved significantly. Disability health checks are performed regularly. This is known as a continuing disability review (CDR). The frequency of this procedure depends mainly on the age of the disabled person. When you are young, health checks may occur every 1-3 years. However, after age 55, disability reviews may occur every 5-7 years. Generally, health checks stop at age 65. Once you reach retirement age, your SSDI benefits will be converted to retirement benefits.
Social Security notifies you of the need to complete a CDR with a special message. Typically, this message asks you to complete a Disability Update Report (Form SSA-455). This document can be completed online.
Filling out the SSA-455 form usually takes no more than 15 minutes. The form contains questions about your health, medical procedures that you have received in the last 2 years, including hospitalizations. The form also contains questions about whether you are working or studying. The SSA-455 form is a short version of the disability survey. If Social Security does not suspect that your health has improved, then the review will be completed. Benefit payments will continue.
However, if the test provides information that suggests your health has improved, you will be offered more extensive testing. This is Form SSA-454-BK.
In addition to completing this form, Social Security may require you to undergo a counseling examination (CE). This examination is paid for by Social Security. This examination is the same as the examination for the initial determination of disability.
Loss of disability during the CDR process typically occurs with 5% of all disabled people! If your benefits are terminated as a result of the assessment, you can appeal the decision. You have 60 days to ask for a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ).
Changes in Age and Living Conditions
Benefit payments may be terminated upon reaching a certain age. For example, disabled children who have reached the age of 18 will have to undergo a re-examination according to adult disability standards. In order to receive disability benefits due to adults, it is necessary to meet one of the lists of disabilities for adults in the Social Security Blue Book or to have no mental or physical ability to perform any work due to health reasons. If it is not possible to undergo a re-examination, the decision can be appealed.
You also lose your disability benefits when you reach retirement age. Your disability benefits are then automatically converted into Social Security retirement benefits.
Disability benefits may be canceled due to a significant improvement in life. For example, if a disabled person marries a person with a good income. This happens when the spouses exceed the couple's asset limit of $3,000. Benefits may be canceled if a disabled person moves to live with friends or relatives and stops paying rent, utilities, etc.
Even an expensive gift can put your disability benefits at risk. Any gift over $60 is considered "unearned income" by Social Security. A gift over $500 can affect your benefits. Also stopping your benefits is having a life insurance policy with cash value, receiving an inheritance that includes cash, real estate, or other valuables, and owning an extra truck or car.
Summary
This is not the most detailed list of reasons that may prevent you from receiving Social Security Disability benefits. However, even this list allows you to understand that it is much more difficult to keep benefits than to receive them. In 2022, Benefits were terminated for 806,894 disabled workers. And this is approximately 10% of the total number of disabled people receiving benefits. To keep your benefits, take into account the information in this article. And also consult with lawyers, share experiences with other disabled people and just be attentive and careful.
*There is also a 36 month Extended Period of Eligibility (EPE)
Insights, Analysis, and Developments
Editorial Note: What stands out most in the data presented here is the gap between getting approved for SSDI and actually keeping it - with over 800,000 disabled workers losing their benefits in a single year, the rules governing continued eligibility clearly deserve as much attention as the initial application process. The nine-month trial work period, the continuing disability review cycle, and the surprisingly low thresholds for gifts and asset limits all create a landscape where well-meaning life changes can quietly put a disabled person's income at risk. Reporting requirements alone, such as the monthly obligation to submit pay slips and work expenses by the 10th of the following month, carry real consequences if missed or delayed. For the nearly 9 million Americans currently receiving disability benefits, staying informed about these rules is not just good practice - it is the difference between financial stability and an unexpected termination notice that can take months to appeal - Disabled World (DW).Author Credentials: Pavel Kuljuk's articles and poems are published in Australia, North America, and Europe. In recent years, he has been constantly collaborating with Australian Rural & Regional News (Australia), Red Hook Daily Catch and OpEd News (USA), and Disabled World (Canada). Kuliuk's individual publications are in Forbes (Kazakhstan), Rural 21 (Germany), London Loves Business (UK), Karrep (India), RealClearDefense (RCD), Change Links, Daily Caller (USA), and many others. Explore Pavels' complete biography for comprehensive insights into his background, expertise, and accomplishments.