When discussing Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) cases the topic of onset dates will eventually come up. The differences in onset dates can be the difference in thousands of dollars in Social Security backpay.
The onset date is the date in which the Social Security Administration finds someone disabled. This is also the date in which an applicant is due to start receiving disability payments.
When a claimant applies for SSDI benefits that claimant alleges a date in which their disabilities became too debilitating to work at a full-time level, this is called the alleged onset date. The claimant cannot claim to be disabled when they are working and earning more than $1,070 per month gross because this violates Social Security’s guidelines for the program.
When Social Security evaluates disability cases and finds that an applicant is disabled, Social Security will come-up with its own disability date. Sometimes Social Security agrees with the applicant’s alleged onset date, which results in a Fully Favorable decision from Social Security, but sometimes the disability onset dates alleged and established differ.
If Social Security determines that a claimant becomes disabled after the claimant’s alleged onset date, but agrees the claimant is disabled, this results in a Partially Favorable decision. The difference between a Fully Favorable decision and a Partially Favorable decision can mean the difference in a lot of backpay for a disability claimant.
Although there would be no reason to appeal a Fully Favorable decision, there may be a good reason to appeal a Partially Favorable decision. When appealing a Partially Favorable decision a claimant should be aware of potential consequences to doing so. If you have a Social Security disability attorney or representative you should discuss your options about appealing any such decisions.
