What Happens After You Win Your Case – Part 1: Contact the Local Social Security Office

Applying for social security disability benefits is a long process. Once there is a favorable decision in your case it means you won! But what do you do now? Unfortunately, the work is not yet done and some additional information must be gathered by SSA to determine the amount of benefits to be paid out. Every case is different and there are a lot of factors that SSA considers when calculating monthly benefits and back awards.

Once you receive your decision letter you may also receive a call from SSA asking to set up an appointment to meet with you. During this appointment you will have to share with SSA any income you are getting currently, any assets you have (such as a house or car), and any information on dependents you may have. This information will allow SSA to calculate how much money is needed to supplement what you currently have for SSI claims. For SSDI claims they will also need W-2 information to calculate the money that is owed, based on the money you paid into the program through social security deductions from previous paychecks.

It is crucial that SSA has all the correct information so they can make the correct calculation. If there is a mistake made, or they discover any income that was not reported to them, it can reduce the amount of benefits you will receive each month, and/or cause an issue of overpayment and cessation of benefits.

In that case, SSA will hold you responsible for paying back any funds that were paid out to you that you were not supposed to receive. Our firm can give you guidance regarding what specific documents and information you should provide to SSA based on your individual circumstance. Keep these things in mind once your case is won and know that it’s not over just yet.