How to Check Your Social Security Disability Status

Much to the chagrin of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) applicants nationwide, disability claims can be notoriously slow to process. You can check on the status of your application at any time throughout the process.

In many cases, the Social Security Administration (SSA) takes at least several months to return an approval or denial. Once you’ve filed a submission, you’ll probably want to periodically check your application status while your claim is under review. You can do this by contacting the SSA in person or over the phone, or by visiting its website. It’s a good idea to check that your medical status and work history qualify you for Social Security benefits before you apply. If your monthly benefit payment is late, you can check in with the SSA to confirm your eligibility for benefits and your banking information.

To get started discussing your legal options, call Young, Marr, Mallis & Associates at (215) 515-2954 for a case review with our disability attorneys in Pennsylvania today. We will always keep your information confidential.

Checking the Status of a Pending Application for SSI or SSDI

It’s easy to check the status of a pending application for SSDI or SSI. There are three ways to get started reviewing your claim’s current status: visiting an SSA office, going online, or calling the SSA.

In Person

You can go to your local SSA office to meet with a representative face-to-face. First, locate your nearest SSA office by using the SSA office locator tool. Once you’ve entered your zip code, the locator tool will provide the information you need to contact your local SSA office, including addresses, phone numbers, and hours of operation.

Over the Phone

You can call the SSA for assistance by dialing (215) 701-6519. If you have trouble hearing, call (800) 325-0778 instead. The SSA’s phone lines are staffed with representatives Monday through Friday, 7:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M.

Online

You can check the status of your application online. For most applicants, this is probably the easiest method. To check your claim’s status online, first navigate to the SSA’s Application Status Information page. For your security, the page will prompt you to supply your SSN and confirmation number.

Note the online tool will not be able to provide information about claims received within the past five days. If you filed your claim within the past five days and want to check its status, you may have more success calling the SSA to speak to a representative in person. But remember: claims typically take at least three months to process. If you submitted your application only days ago, it is unlikely that the SSA has any new information to provide regarding its status.

Otherwise, your online application status should show information such as the date the SSA received your claim, whether the SSA has made any requests for further documentation, the address of the field office handling your claim, and whether a decision has been made.

How to Check if My Medical Status Qualifies Me for Social Security Disability

Before you apply for Social Security Disability benefits, confirming that your medical status qualifies you for payments is important. The SSA provides guidance on which disabilities are eligible for monthly benefits.

The best way to check if your medical status qualifies you for Social Security disability benefits is by first identifying which type of benefits you want to apply for. Based on your work history and the age you sustained an injury or illness, our disability attorneys can make this distinction. For some people, SSI benefits are applicable to their situation. For others, the benefit type that best suits their needs is SSDI benefits.

Then, you must confirm that you have a qualifying disability. To do so, go to the SSA’s website. There, the SSA provides lists of disabilities that may qualify a person to receive either SSDI or SSI benefits. Typically, there are more qualifying disabilities for children than for adults.

Social Security benefits cover many, but not all, disabilities. These disabilities range from different types of cancers to paralysis. The qualifying conditions for SSDI and SSI benefits are the same.

How to Check if My Work History Qualifies Me for Social Security Disability

In some cases, certain Social Security disability benefits are only available to those with a sufficient work history. It is important to check that your work history qualifies you to receive SSDI benefits before you apply.

Social Security Disability Insurance benefits are given to those with qualifying conditions and sufficient work histories. This means you must have been working for some time and have a disability approved by the SSA to get SSDI benefits. Though there are no work history qualification criteria to receive SSDI benefits, there may be additional criteria you have to meet.

Work history eligibility for certain benefits does not impede all people without sufficient earning records from qualifying for SSDI benefits. If you sustained your disability before the age of 22 and are unable to work, check to see if you qualify for benefits through your parent’s earning record. To get benefits this way, you must have a parent that is receiving retirement or disability benefits or have a deceased parent with an earning record that would have qualified them for SSDI benefits.

How to Check My Social Security Disability Benefit Amount

To prepare your finances for Social Security benefits, you should check to see what your monthly payment amount may be from the SSA. You can use the SSA’s criteria to calculate monthly benefits for SSI and SSDI recipients to determine this.

A person’s earning record determines their SSDI benefit amount. People who have worked longer generally receive larger monthly benefits. In 2023, the maximum monthly benefit for SSDI recipients is $3,627. Few people actually receive this amount each month. Those that do are often near retirement age.

SSI benefits for eligible individuals in 2023 max out at $914 monthly. For eligible married couples, the maximum benefit is $1,371. Countable income will be subtracted from that amount for each month that you have income other than SSI benefits to support your needs for food or shelter.

How Long Will it Take for My Disability Claim to Be Processed?

It’s understandable to want a quick response after you’ve submitted a claim for SSI or SSDI benefits. You’ve put in the time and effort to compile your medical information, and now an important decision about your financial future hangs in the balance. Just how long are you going to have to wait to find out if you’ve been denied or approved?

Unfortunately, there’s no cut-and-dried answer to that question. The processing time for each individual claim can vary dramatically due to factors such as how serious your medical condition is. Conditions which plainly meet the medical requirements provided by the SSA’s listing of impairments, such as having a limb amputation or documented organ transplant, are more likely to be quickly approved than conditions which are not immediately apparent. On a similar note, applicants with advanced terminal conditions like cancer may be approved for expedited claims processing through the SSA’s Compassionate Allowances program.

Other factors that might impede the processing time of your claim include whether the SSA requires that you submit to any additional exams, how many other claims the SSA is already processing, how long it takes for the SSA to get in touch with your physician and secure medical evidence like lab results, and how long it takes for you to respond to any SSA inquiries for further information. The more responsive you are, the faster your claim may be processed.

Generally speaking, most applicants can expect to receive a definitive yes or no answer within 90 to 120 days, or about three to four months. If you haven’t heard back — or if you’re simply curious about where your application stands — it’s time to check the status of your claim.

How Long After My Disability Claim is Approved Will I Receive Benefits?

Once your claim is processed and approved, it may be some time before you start getting monthly benefits. The SSA has a mandatory waiting period following disability claim approval in most cases.

For those hoping to receive SSDI payments, a five-month waiting period may follow case approval. This waiting period exists so that the SSA can be sure you actually have the disability you claim to. There is an exception to the waiting period for people with some medical conditions, like ALS. Applicants may be unaware of this and be concerned when they don’t get benefits immediately after claim approval.

Once the five-month waiting period has ended, you will have to wait one more month to get your SSDI benefits. That is because SSDI benefits are paid each month for the previous month. So, you’ll get your benefit for January in February and your benefit for February in March. If it has been more than six months since your claim for benefits was approved and you still have not received your first check, contact the SSA to notify it of the issue.

How to Check on a Delayed Social Security Disability Payment

Social Security disability checks should come on the same scheduled day each month that you are eligible to receive them. If there is a delay, check on your benefit to ensure you get it as quickly as possible.

Though SSDI and SSI benefits follow a different schedule, once you are assigned your payment date, you should receive your monthly benefit at the same time monthly. For SSDI recipients, payment dates are determined by birthdays and should arrive on the second, third, or fourth Wednesday of each month. All SSI benefits are paid on the first of every month. If the first of the month falls on a weekend, SSI benefits will be paid on the preceding Friday.

Many Social Security disability recipients choose to get their monthly checks through direct deposit. This typically allows recipients to avoid any delays in getting a check through the mail. If your direct deposit or mailed payment is late, our disability attorneys can contact the SSA on your behalf. The SSA might have mistakenly sent your check to the incorrect location or wrongly assumed that you no longer need benefits. Sorting this out immediately is crucial, as miscommunication between recipients and the SSA can cause serious issues. Disability recipients rely on their monthly SSA checks for income, and even a delay of a few days might impact their ability to pay their bills.

Our Philadelphia + Bucks County Disability Attorneys Can Help

To schedule your free and private case evaluation with our disability attorneys, call Young, Marr, Mallis & Associates at (215) 515-2954 in Pennsylvania today.