If you get seriously hurt, you might not be able to work. Applying for Social Security Disability Insurance could help your situation, provided that the Social Security Administration approves your claim for disability benefits. Still, even if you receive a denial, you may appeal the decision.
An appeal might be successful, but it could take a while, perhaps a year or longer. This may put you in a financially tight situation if you have to wait long without getting benefits. Fortunately, Social Security offers past-due benefits to applicants who win an appeal.
What are past-due benefits?
The AARP explains that if you succeed in reversing a decision against you, Social Security will provide you with benefits that you would have gotten if the government had approved your application from the start. Usually, applicants who win an appeal will receive their past-due benefits in a lump sum no later than 60 days after securing approval of benefits.
How do past-due benefits work?
According to Social Security, the date when you became disabled is your onset date. The law gives Social Security a waiting period of five months from this date. Afterward, you may receive benefits. If you have to make an appeal, Social Security will subtract the waiting period from your appeal time. This will determine how many months of past-due benefits to provide you.
The standard for determining benefits is when you qualify for disability under Social Security, so you might get less in past-due benefits if you did not meet disability standards until after your initial application. Still, the possibility of receiving a large payout could make appealing an SSDI denial worth the effort.