What You Need to Know Before Going Back to Your Job
You suffered an injury or contracted an illness that qualified you for social security disability insurance (SSDI) benefits. Your health has improved, but you’re not sure if you can return to work or what will happen to your SSDI benefits if you do return to work. What happens if you have a relapse and need to collect benefits again? Will you have to go through the entire approval process all over?
How Do You Know If You Are Eligible to Return to Work?
Quite simply, you always have the right to go back to work. SSDI benefits are often permanent, but they are not automatically so. In fact, through the Social Security Administration’s Ticket to Work program, any person receiving SSDI benefits can attempt to return to work without losing access to benefits. Anyone receiving disability benefits automatically qualifies for the Ticket to Work program. Created in 1999, the Ticket to Work program allows a disabled person to test their ability to go back to work without fear that their access to benefits might be terminated.
What Happens If You Decide to Try to Return to Work?
The first thing you’ll have to do is inform the Social Security Administration of your choice to try to go back to work. You’ll be given a nine-month trial period, during which you’ll still receive some or all of your SSDI benefits, depending on how much you earn monthly. During this probationary period, you should diligently inform the Social Security Administration officials of any challenges you experience trying to return to work. The nine-month period does not need to be consecutive; rather, it’s based on how much you earn in a given month. In 2024, every month during which your gross income exceeds $1,110 is counted as one of the nine months of the trial period. You must, however, use all nine months within a rolling five-year period.
Once the nine-month period ends, you’ll have an Extended Period of Eligibility for SSDI benefits. This three-year period allows you access to your prior benefits without reapplying. Typically, you’ll get full benefits for the first three months 0f the extended period and remain eligible for SSDI benefits for the remaining 33 months if your income falls below a certain threshold. In 2024, you can earn up to $1,550 per month ($2,590 if you are blind) and still receive full benefits. If your earnings are above those amounts, you will be ineligible for SSDI benefits.
Medicare Coverage When Trying to Return to Work
During the nine-month trial period, you’ll qualify for Medicare Part A without any cost to you, and you can get Part B by paying the necessary premiums. Those benefits are available for 93 months after the termination of the trial period.
Let Bailey & Galyen Handle Your SSDI Claim
At the law offices of Bailey & Galyen, we have provided aggressive advocacy to people throughout the Lone Star State for more than 40 years, including those seeking SSDI benefits. We have comprehensive knowledge of the laws and regulations governing SSDI benefits and know how to file a successful benefits application. To learn more about how we can protect your right to SSDI benefits, contact us by e-mail or call our offices at one of the convenient locations listed below. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
