The Social Security Disability Review

Depending upon the nature of your disability, you may be reviewed in one year, three years, five years or more. Social Security does reviews so that they can determine if you are still disabled and unable to work under their rules. When you receive this review, you will be asked to fill out paperwork that is kind of similar to the initial application for disability benefits.

It is important to seek regular medical care for your disability, if you can. Not only for your own health, but if you are collecting disability payments, Social Security will usually request medical documentation of your disability. They want to see you are making an effort to get better. Some conditions are hard to treat, so if yours is one of these conditions, your doctor can document this. You might have tried several treatments that just do not work for you or are not helpful. You will want to have as much evidence of your disability as possible to ensure that the review process go smooth.

There are different review forms to be filled out by Social Security. There are short forms and long forms. The short forms are usually just a few questions asking you if you are still disabled and if there are any improvements to your medical condition. The short form is a more simple form to fill out.

If you receive the long form, it may resemble something close to the initial application you filled out when applying for benefits. There is usually several pages asking you to fill in questions about your medical condition, how it affects your daily living and your ability to work. This form will go more into depth and may even ask questions about you from people who know you, such as family members or close friends. It may also ask who your doctors are and how often you see them.

Make sure to fill out all of the necessary paperwork for the review as soon as possible. There is usually a deadline to complete this paperwork. You will want to have it sent back to Social Security in the proper time frame so that it does not cause any delays in your review.

If you are receiving disability payments and you are working a part-time job, you will most likely be asked about your job. Questions like, how many hours you work, the nature of your job and how much you are paid might be asked. Be truthful about your employment and why you can only work a certain amount of hours per week.

If you are working full time and working over the monthly income limit for Social Security disability benefits, there is a chance that Social Security will no longer find you disabled. Your disability payments could be stopped. This all depends on how long you have been working full-time. Social Security does allow for trial work periods where you can work and still collect benefits for a certain amount of months.

Waiting for a Social Security disability review may take a few weeks, months or longer. It all depends on your individual case, how backlogged Social Security is, and how quickly you get your review papers back to Social Security. While you are waiting, keep in mind that if you and/or your doctor feel you are still disabled and can not work and your medical records can prove this, you will most likely still be considered disabled under Social Security's rules.

You will receive a decision letter in the mail stating whether or not Social Security still finds you disabled. If you are still considered disabled under their rules, the letter will state that they have found your disability continuing and you will continue to receive your monthly disability payments.

If Social Security has stated that they no longer find you disabled and you feel that you still are, you may want to appeal the decision. Instructions on how to do so can be found in the review letter or through contacting the Social Security office.