Eligibility of Disabled Social Security Beneficiaries

How to obtain disability benefits – and how to lose them.

In most cases, you are reading this leaflet because you just got a letter telling you we're going to review your disability. That's because the law says from time to time we need to review almost everybody's case to see if he or she is still eligible for disability benefits. Generally, if your health has not improved, or if your disability still keeps you from working, you will continue to receive your benefits.

Here is what we plan to do.

We Will Gather The Facts

• To help us make our decision, we will begin by gathering information about your health. We will ask your doctors, hospitals, and clinics for reports about your health. We will ask them how your health problems limit your activities, what medical tests show, and what medical treatments you have been given. 

• If we need more medical information, we will ask you to go for a special examination or test which we will pay for. We will write to you about the time and place for this test. 

• We will add this new medical information to the information you gave us about your health.

We Will Review Your Disability

Next, we will look at what your medical condition was when we last reviewed your case. We will also look at any new health problems you may have now.

• We will look to see if your health has improved. If your health has improved, we will see if you might be able to work. 

• We will look to see if your overall health affects the kind of work you can do. This includes the work you did in the past and any other kind of work you might be able to do now.

What Will Happen To Your Benefits

Your benefits generally will continue unless any of the following situations are true in your case. 

• New or improved medical tests show that you are not as disabled as you were when we reviewed your case in the past. These tests must also show us that you can now work. 

• You have benefited from vocational training or advances in medical treatment or vocational technology, and you can work. 

• We find that we made a mistake in our earlier decision. 

• Without a good reason, you do not follow the treatment your doctor ordered and you probably could go back to work if you did. 

• You gave us false and misleading information when we made our earlier decision. 

• You are not cooperating in this review and you do not have a good reason for not cooperating. 

• You work and the work is both substantial and gainful. By "substantial," we mean work involving significant physical or mental activity. "Gainful" means, that the work is done for pay or profit. However, this situation will not affect Supplemental Security Income payments.

If any of the above situations exist, your benefits may stop.

If You Have Any Questions

If you have any questions about our plans to review your case, call or visit your local Social Security office. Make sure you have the letter that came with this leaflet available if you do.