The Process Of Receiving Disability Benefits

If your disability claim is approved, what you receive and how soon you receive it depends on whether this is a Title II disability claim or an SSI claim, and other factors.

For example, in the event you are approved for disability benefits, in a very straightforward Title II disability claim, you may see payments issued by the time that you receive your letter notifying you that you were approved arrived.

The Pre-Effectuation Review Contact (PERC)

If you’ve been approved for SSI benefits, you must go through a PERC (Pre-Effectuation Review Contact) with Social Security. In the PERC, an official with Social Security collects information such as your:

• Household income;
• Property;
• Savings;
• Retirement Plans;
• Life Insurance Plans;
• And any other resources you may have available to you.

All of these factors can affect whether or not you are financially eligible to receive SSI benefits.

The speed that that PERC conference happens varies depending on the workload of the office that’s handling it. In Charlotte, we usually see these conferences completed within a couple of weeks of a favorable decision. Then, you will receive a notice in the mail about when the benefits will arrive – and you should receive your benefits by the start of the next month.

The Complications Of SSD & SSI Benefits

If there are both SSD and SSI benefits involved, it gets a little more complicated because Social Security does not double pay. Social Security has to resolve all the SSI issues before they can finalize your SSD (Title II disability) benefits. Such a resolution may take 90 days or more to finish the paperwork.

The payments on the Title II SSD portion of the claim are managed through regional payment centers, which don’t consider a claim delinquent in their office until they have had your claim for 90 days. As a result, most people will have received payment within those 90 days, though there are cases that take longer for a variety of issues.

Issues That Delay Payment

Issues that may delay the payment of your benefits can range from simple data entry errors to those with multiple types of claims in the system. For example, consider that you have an SSD claim based on what you paid into Social Security in addition to a Disabled Widow’s claim based on a deceased spouse’s record.

Again, because Social Security does not double pay, they have to determine which source should pay the benefit. Such analysis can be dragged out based on what the correct benefit amounts would be and whether there is an offset from the other benefit source (such as workers’ compensation).

Even though there may be delays in payment, you don’t have to be concerned that you are missing out on benefits you are owed. Approved SSD claims are eligible for back pay from up to a year before the date on which you filed. If you have been out of work for a couple of years and file today, you can receive benefits going back a full 12 months from the date you filed.

With the guidance of a skilled attorney for Social Security Disability Law Cases, you can have the peace of mind that comes with knowing that we’ll make it look easy. For more information on Social Security Disability Law in North Carolina, a free initial consultation is your next best step. Get the information and legal answers you are seeking by calling or texting (704) 412-4773 today.