When You Are Approved For Benefits
Getting the news that you have been approved for Social Security disability benefits may seem like the end to a long, exhausting process, but approval does not mean the final end to a claim. Although it is great to learn you have been approved the process is not over. Typically there is more waiting involved and there are some important factors to consider once Social Security advises that someone is disabled and eligible for benefits. Below is from a Social Security publication detailing what happens next after a claim is approved.
What happens when my claim is approved?
Social Security will send a letter to you telling you your application is approved, the amount of your monthly benefit, and the effective date. Your monthly disability benefit is based on your average lifetime earnings. Your first Social Security disability benefits will be paid for the sixth full month after the date your disability began.
Here is an example: If the state agency decides your disability began on January 15, your first disability benefit will be paid for the month of July. Social Security benefits are paid in the month following the month for which they are due, so you’ll receive your July benefit in August. You’ll also receive What You Need to Know When You Get Disability Benefits (Publication No. 05-10153), which gives you important information about your benefits and tells you what changes you must report to Social Security.
Can my family get benefits?
Certain members of your family may qualify for benefits based on your work. They include:
- Your spouse, if he or she is age 62 or older;
- Your spouse at any age, if he or she is caring for a child of yours who is younger than age 16 or disabled;
- Your unmarried child, including an adopted child, or, in some cases, a stepchild or grandchild. The child must be younger than age 18 (or younger than 19 if still in high school);
- Your unmarried child, age 18 or older, if he or she has a disability that started before age 22. The child’s disability must also meet the definition of disability for adults.
NOTE: In some situations, a divorced spouse may qualify for benefits based on your earnings, if he or she was married to you for at least 10 years, is not currently married, and is at least age 62. The money paid to a divorced spouse doesn’t reduce your benefit or any benefits due to your current spouse or children.
How do other payments affect my benefits?
If you’re getting other government benefits (including those from a foreign country), the amount of your Social Security disability benefits may be affected. For more information, you should see the following:
- How Workers’ Compensation And Other Disability Payments May Affect Your Benefits (Publication No. 05-10018);
- Windfall Elimination Provision (Publication No. 05-10045); and
- Government Pension Offset (Publication No. 05-10007).
You can get these publications from Social Security’s website www.ssa.gov, or you can contact Social Security to request them.
