Belleville, Ill. (4/10/07) - Allsup Inc. specializes in guiding people with disabilities through the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) process. Because we are so specialized, we hear many questions. One of the most common is, “How long will it be from the time I get my award to when I get a check from the government?”
Below, you will find part of an article we submitted to a disability advocacy organization. It provides valuable information on:
• How long is “typical” from the award date to the check in your hand
• Why delays occur
• Where you can get more information
Please feel free to use this article in your newsletters or publications, and please let us know if you do. If you have other questions about SSDI that you would like to have addressed, please contact us and we will tailor a specific article for your use.
SSDI: Where’s My Money?
For a majority of claimants, the time between being awarded and actually seeing a check is 60-90 days. In a small percentage of cases, we have seen payments as quick as 1-2 weeks. Typically, this is for simple cases awarded at level one or two in the claims process.
Our extensive experience with the Social Security Payment Centers shows they usually need at least 60 days to process an award.
There are many reasons why awards are delayed.
In California for example, Social Security (SSA) offsets (reduces) your disability benefits by how much you receive from state disability. This adds time to the process as SSA has to determine the amount of the offset, and thus you have a delay.
In most other states, SSA offsets your disability benefits by how much you receive from workers’ compensation benefits. Again, this delays payment. A similar situation occurs if you have ever received Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
There are also delays that you may inadvertently cause.
Once an award is made, SSA has to verify citizenship through original copies of birth certificates or naturalization documents. Allsup knows this and follows up with SSA to see if any of these documents are needed. If you are applying by yourself without professional representation, you will probably have to wait for a letter instructing you to bring these documents to the local SSA office. This may be months after you have been awarded.
Additionally, if you have a large amount of retroactive benefits (back pay) coming to you, SSA needs multiple signatures before releasing the check, which delays payment. It is also possible on large awards for the payments to arrive in multiple checks over a period of a few months.
As a general guideline, however, don’t expect anything before 60 days after you are awarded. But prepare yourselves for a longer wait. SSA personnel are over-worked, over-loaded, under-budgeted and under-staffed. They are working as hard as they can, but delays are inevitable and can be lengthy, especially if you are applying by yourself.
Remember, Allsup is always here to help you through the process. It is all we do, and we have helped tens of thousands of people just like you get the benefits they deserve. You stay at home. We do the work.sm