Reasons Why You Might Face a Cessation of Disability Benefits
A regular part of the Social Security Disability system—a continuing disability review (CDR)—is one way you can end up with a disability benefits cessation.
A CDR is a periodic check to see if your medical impairments continue to leave you unable to work—in other words whether you still qualify for benefits. These reviews may happen every three years or seven years, or over longer periods.
Most of the time, CDRs don’t result in ending your benefits, but they can. If the review determines your health has significantly improved, you may lose benefits.
These are some of the most common reasons you may face a disability cessation:
- The disability judge who awarded you benefits called for your eligibility to be reviewed after a short time, and the review resulted in terminating your benefits.
- Social Security decided to scrutinize your claim, which it could do any time.
- Your disability claim underwent a routine CDR after you received benefits for several years, and the CDR concluded your benefits should end.
- You’ve been working and earning more money than the “substantial gainful activity” allowed by Social Security for you to qualify for disability benefits.
- For SSI benefits, you have gathered new financial assets that put your total resources above the SSI limits.
For SSDI, “substantial gainful activity” means working and earning more than $1,350 per month (as of 2022; the numbers typically adjust each year).
For SSI, you run afoul of the financial requirements for disability benefits if you earn more than $841 per month (as of 2022) or acquire assets that put you above a $2,000 limit for property or investments.
You should know, however, that not all types of income and not all types of assets or property count toward your limits. Your own home, for example, is exempt from the calculation.
If you’re having issues with your disability claim, , and you need to talk to someone about it, talk to the experienced disability advocates at Hanley Disability.
