Qualifying for Social Security disability benefits can take a load off of your shoulders. It can alleviate many of your financial burdens and allow you to focus on living the best life that you can in light of your condition. But the truth of the matter is that the federal government is aggressive in ensuring that only those that it deems to be truly disabled receive these benefits, which is why they often reevaluate disability benefits recipients to determine if they are still disabled and therefore still qualify for those benefits. While we’ve talked about continuing disability reviews previously on the blog, this week let’s look at how you can prepare for them.
Preparing for your continuing disability review
The standard during these reviews is whether your condition has improved to the point that you can return to work or engage in substantial gainful activity, which means that you earn slightly more than $1,000 per month. So, there are two areas that you’ll need to be prepared to address: your medical condition and your work.
- Medical condition: In preparation for your review, be sure to have all the medical documentation that you need to demonstrate your disability. This information should be as up-to-date as possible to give the government a clear snapshot of your current health. If, prior to your evaluation, you disagree with your medical professional’s opinion of your condition, then seek a second opinion and make sure that you’re clear in how your condition has affected your ability to live on a day-to-day basis. Be transparent here, and don’t leave out any detail when it comes to how your condition has affected your wellbeing. Ask about any relevant testing and do your best to ensure that your doctor is being as thorough as possible.
- Your work: If you haven’t worked since initially qualifying for disability benefits, then you’re in the clear here. However, if you’ve engaged in some sort of work activity, then you’ll need to disclose that the individual who is reviewing your claim. Be sure to discuss any failed attempts to return to work with both your medical provider and your claim reviewer, and make sure you have a clear understanding of what actually counts as income for Social Security disability purposes.
Know where you stand in light of the law
It can be hard to position yourself for success in the Social Security disability system when you don’t know the legalities involved. That’s why experienced law firms like ours stand ready to help guide you through the process and create the legal arguments needed to best position you for success.
