Continuing Disability Reviews

The Social Security Administration is required by law to periodically review the case of every person who receives disability benefits. This process is called a continuing disability review (CDR) and is meant to identify recipients who might no longer be considered disabled. If, after your CDR has concluded, the agency determines that your medical condition has improved enough that you can return to work, your Social Security benefits will end.

Many people who are currently receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits are surprised to receive notice of a CDR in the mail. Fortunately, passing a CDR is usually not very difficult. If you're wondering what happened to trigger your CDR or how you can make sure that your benefits continue, it's important to know when Social Security conducts these reviews.

What Is the CDR Review Process?

Social Security will mail you the short form Disability Update Report when your claim is up for review. Make sure that you answer this two-page form honestly. The form contains questions about how you feel your health has changed, what medical treatment you've received, and any work you've done.

If your answers on the short form send a red flag to Social Security (for example, if you say you've been working full-time and haven't received any recent medical treatment), the agency will send you a longer form, the Continuing Disability Review Report, which is ten pages and similar to the initial disability application. You can learn more about the forms in our article on how long the CDR review process takes.

You're encouraged to submit any updated medical evidence (the agency sometimes, but not always, gets the evidence for you), so it can be helpful to keep copies of your medical records. Social Security generally reviews your medical records from 12 months before your CDR to look for evidence of improvement, but the agency can look at evidence from any time after you were initially granted benefits.

If the agency doesn't think it has enough evidence to make a decision, or if inconsistencies exist between what you report and your medical evidence, you might be asked to attend a consultative examination. Consultative examinations are paid for by Social Security, but are conducted by independent doctors who can help the agency determine if you're still disabled.

How Often Do Continuing Disability Reviews Happen?

Social Security sets most cases for review every three or seven years, depending on factors such as your age and how likely it is that your medical condition will improve enough for you to return to work. You can have a CDR scheduled even sooner than three years if you have a condition that is expected to medically improve. Or, if you have a condition that's permanent or not expected to improve—such as an amputated limb or Alzheimer's disease—your claim might be reviewed less than every seven years.

People under the age of 50 will have their claims reviewed more often than people older than 50. That's because it's more likely that you'll be able to return to work the further you are from full retirement age (67 if you're born in or after 1960).

CDRs for Children

Children who receive SSI disability benefits automatically have their claims reviewed when they turn 18, a process called redetermination. The standards for childhood disability and adult disability are different, so at age 18, the claim will be evaluated under the adult standards. Newborns who receive SSI due to a low birth weight will usually have their claims reviewed before the child's first birthday, unless they're expected to remain disabled for longer.

Triggered CDRs

In addition to holding regularly scheduled CDRs, Social Security may conduct a continuing disability review in any of the following situations:

• You return to work (unless you've been receiving SSDI benefits for at least 24 months).
• You let Social Security know that your condition has improved.
• Your medical evidence indicates that your condition has improved.
• A third party informs the agency that you are not following your treatment protocol, or
• A new treatment for your disabling condition has recently been introduced.

As you can see, the main triggers for a CDR are medical in nature. That's because developments in medical research and new treatment options may, over time, reduce or eliminate the functional limitations that resulted in your original finding of disability.

How to Pass a Continuing Disability Review

Most of the time, passing a CDR is a lot easier than getting disability benefits in the first place. If your condition hasn't improved enough for you to be able to return to work, Social Security will complete the review and your benefits won't be affected. But if Social Security concludes that your condition has improved to the point where you can return to work, the agency will notify you that your benefits will stop.

The best way to make sure your CDR goes smoothly is to get regular medical attention and to keep Social Security in the loop regarding your medical records. The agency will want to see that you're still going to the doctor, following your doctors' recommendations, and trying any new treatments that could help you improve enough to return to work. Without medical records, the agency can assume that your condition improved so much that you no longer need treatment—and end your benefits.

What Happens If Social Security Finds I'm No Longer Disabled?

You can appeal the decision to end your benefits and you choose to continue receiving benefits while your appeal is under consideration. The appeals process is very similar to the process you probably experienced when you first applied for SSDI or SSI. If you were awarded benefits after a hearing with an administrative law judge, for example, you might have to attend another hearing where you can explain why you're still disabled.

Even if you didn't have an attorney when you originally won your disability claim, now might be a good time to hire one. An experienced disability lawyer can help you gather the appropriate medical records, make sure you keep on top of appeal deadlines, and draft a legal brief containing persuasive arguments as to why you should continue to receive benefits.