Earning social security disability benefits is like winning a merit-based lottery, with a chance of 1 in a million. However, while most people learn to remain vigilant about the rules while they're in the process, many disability beneficiaries simply forget to follow the rules, once they have won the SSDI benefits. The unfortunate part is, your SSDI benefits could be cancelled if you break the rules. The good part is, in this article we've listed 4 of the most common mistakes to avoid to prevent your benefits being cancelled.
4 Things Social Security Beneficiaries Should Not Do
Often times, disability benefits are rarely cancelled due to medical improvements. Instead, most beneficiaries loose because they might break rules such as earning above a threshold income or having assets that exceed the income threshold limits set by the SSDI. Below are some common things you should not do in order to be able to maintain your benefits.
- 1) Working too much
This goes beyond saying, but one of the basic eligibility requirements for SSDI is that you must not work to earn more than the substantial gainful activity (SGA) amount. The SGA amount for 2021 is $1310 a month or more which means if your monthly income exceeds the SGA limit, your benefits may be terminated.
- 2) Incarcerated
According to the SSA's rules regarding criminal activity by a beneficiary, if an SSDI claimant is incarcerated due to a misdemeanor or a felony, they would become ineligible for further SSDI benefits. Hence, if you're an SSDI beneficiary, your benefits would be terminated from the date of your conviction. (When the beneficiary is released, the benefits may start again, however, they must provide the proof of release to the SSA).
- 3) Retirement
If you are eligible for retirement, your disability benefits will change to retirement benefits once you reach full age of retirement. The total amount of the benefits will not change except in cases with one of the benefits greater than the other, in which case the larger amount will be set as your benefits amount. However, you must notify the SSA of your retirement process whenever it takes place.
- 4) Changes in Assets or Income
For SSI and SSDI benefits, any losses or gains in the total assets or income might result in a change in the total amount of the benefits. However, not reporting about the altered status to the SSA may result in complete termination of the benefits income.
- 5) Additional
In addition to the above cases, if the SSA determines that you did any kind of fraudulent activity including your proof of documents, witnesses, etc, they might not only cancel your benefits but also ban you from applying again. Some examples of a fraudulent activity are mentioned below:
- -False facts or false statement about disability case
- -False information about his/her identity such as a Social Security Number
- -Hiding or misinforming about status of self-employment
- -Incorrect or false information about earnings amount
- -Not reporting any changes in medical or financial status that might change SSDI benefits
- -Using some other person's benefits for causes other than supporting the beneficiary with that money
For further information about rules regarding your SSDI benefits, you might inquire us. If you need help in filing for a reconsideration for your SSDI benefits termination, you might contact our expert disability attorneys for legal help.