"After my 9 month work window has depleted, what happens with my family's benefits next?"
The nine month trial work period is a time that an individual can earn over the SGA limit and not have it affect their ability to receive a disability check.
Remember, that nine month period does not have to be continuous, but can occur at any time in a rolling five year period. Your disability benefit will not stop as long as your work activity in the tenth month is not SGA (a monthly earnings amount established by SSA that they consider to equate with substantial gainful activity).
Extended Period of Eligibility
If you are earning over the SGA monthly amount in the tenth month your disability benefits as well as the benefits payable to your family will be suspended due to your work activity and you will begin a period of extended period of eligibility known as the EPE.
The EPE allows an individual to restart their disability benefits anytime they become unable to work at an SGA level. The EPE lasts for 36 months. Once the 36 month period elapses, then the first month you perform SGA your disability benefits will be ceased.
Expedited Reinstatement of Benefits
At this point. You have an additional five years to file an expedited reinstatement of your benefits if you stop work due to the same disabling conditions, or you file a new disability claim all together. The expedited reinstatement will give you six months of provisional payments while they make a decision as to your disability status.
A Social Security claims representative will go over your options with you. Sometimes if you can wait, a new disability decision will increase your monthly benefit amount.
These are your options as far as what happens after the nine month trial work period. Anytime your disability benefit is stopped, your family's benefits stop as well.
