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Disability Payments – What to Expect at the Start

After applying for disability there is a bit of a waiting game. It can take about a year to hear back from the Social Security Administration to know if your application has been approved or denied. If you are approved, you can probably expect to wait another 5 months or so before they start sending payments.

The reason for the wait times is because the SSA is a giant machine that is managing trillions of dollars. There are millions of people being paid out from the system and just like any organization that large, there is red tape to be cut and other minor barriers to overcome 

Some folks have reported receiving payments within a few months whereas others it took much longer. The general average is about 5 months. Payments can be sent in check form and there is a direct deposit option as well. 

See the average disability payout amount here

Building a Case

You will need to prove to the people at the SSA that you are truly disabled and need financial assistance. This is done by building a case. Many people believe they just need a note from a doctor and they can begin receiving payments. Unfortunately for them, it doesn’t work like that. 

A doctor’s note will be necessary but there are other boxes to check as well. Have you documented your medical history? You will need proof from your very first visit to the doctor to your most recent and everything in between.  

Have you tried treatment? The board will want to see that you attempted to better your situation and have not been able to do so. They want to see that you tried all other routes before deciding to apply for disability benefits. You should treat this just like any other legal case where you have to provide as much evidence as possible.

If you get denied disability benefits then you should know that you are afforded at least one appeal. But, your appeal needs to be perfect if you want to be approved.

Hiring an attorney to manage your case will improve your chances by around 60%. If your case is denied and you hire an attorney to handle your appeal, your chances of winning your appeal will also improve by about 60%. 

Why does an attorney help so much? Just like most any other industry, when you hire an expert in a field, you will get the job done correctly the first time. This is not the place to be learning on-the-job. An attorney already knows what to collect and how to present your case.