If Approved For Disability How Far Back Will They Pay Me?

There are different ways to answer this question because different factors play into how far back an approved claimant can receive social security disability or ssi benefits.

The most immediate factor is a claimant's onset date. A claimant's EOD, or established onset of disability is when a claimant's disability is decided to have begun. Onset is determined by either a disability examiner or an administrative law judge based on the facts presented in a claimant's medical records.

However, while onset is an acknowledgment of when a claimant's condition became disabling, it is not necessarily a determinant of when social security disability or ssi benefits become payable.

Under the most favorable conditions, an ssi claimant can receive benefits payable from the date of their ssi application. A social security disability claimant, on the other hand, can receive benefits payable from the date of their application, as well as up to twelve months prior to the date of application (however, for title II, or social security disability cases, the five month waiting period requirement will eliminate five months of backpay--the waiting period does not apply to ssi cases).

Why do so many approved claimants receive social security back payments of considerable monetary size? Simply because disability cases can take as long as three years, or longer, to resolve.

Can a claimant who was at one point denied for benefits, but, later, after filing a new application and eventually being approved at a hearing, "get credit" for their earlier disability application. Potentially, yes.

An administrative law judge who approves an individual's case may decide to "reopen" an earlier application, allowing a claimant to receive a larger back payment.