Can I Get Retroactive SSDI Benefits and Payments?

Knowledgeable Alabama attorneys provide trustworthy guidance for SSDI claims

If you suffer an injury or illness that may make you eligible for Social Security disability insurance benefits, the claims process can take a substantial amount of time and approval of benefits is far from certain. Being unable to work all that time, you can experience severe financial hardship. If your claim is finally approved, will you be able to recover for the months you spent in limbo? The Social Security disability lawyers at Carey & Hamner, P.C. in Dothan have extensive experience with SSDI appeals. We will provide determined representation throughout the appeals process to help you obtain the benefits you deserve.

Eligibility of retroactive SSDI payments

The date that Social Security disability benefits begin to be paid is determined by multiple factors. By law, Social Security disability payments cannot begin until five months have passed from the date of the onset of the disabling condition. The Social Security Administration calls the application filing date the “alleged onset date.” If, for example, you file your application on February 1, you can potentially start receiving payments on July 1.

However, the date of an application is not always the true date of onset of a disability. If you had an accident or illness and you were hopeful of recovery, you wouldn’t have immediately filed for SSDI, because those benefits depend on the disability being permanent. You might have gone through treatment and physical rehabilitation for months before finally concluding your disabling condition was permanent. Then it could have taken more time to assemble the information necessary to file. Five months could already have elapsed before you filed.

Fortunately, you can arrange to change your alleged onset date to a newly established onset date. This requires presenting evidence of the true date of the onset of your disability.

If your SSDI benefits are denied, you might have to go through months of appeals. But if your application is approved, you will receive benefits going back to the onset date, plus the five-month waiting period. The SSA makes retroactive payments for a maximum of 12 months prior to the date the application is accepted.

How our SSDI benefits attorneys can help

Filing an application for SSDI is time-consuming, technical and tedious. A beginner’s mistake can mean months of costly delay. When you consult a Social Security disability attorney at our firm, you get personalized attention from a knowledgeable professional. We take care to make sure your application includes all the necessary documentation. If our review indicates you deserve retroactive payments, we make sure to include all the supporting evidence to justify a new disability onset date. Our skilled attorneys also manage appeals of denied SSDI claims so you can obtain the benefits you deserve.

Contact our Alabama law firm to pursue retroactive payments of your SSDI benefits

Carey & Hamner, P.C. in Dothan helps clients with SSDI claims obtain the full amount of retroactive benefits they are entitled to. To schedule a consultation, call 855-435-4797 or contact us online. Our office is located across Main Street from the First United Methodist Church.