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When to Apply for SSD Benefits

Posted: March 11, 2011

You should seriously consider applying for benefits as soon as you think your illness or injury may keep you out of work for at least one year. Though it may be difficult to accept that you could be disabled for a year or more, by applying for SSD benefits as soon as possible you are protecting your financial stability. It’s not negative thinking, it’s practical thinking.

I meet many people who don’t explore Social Security Disability benefits until they are out of work, out of money, and out of luck. They are hoping against all odds that their medical conditions will improve and they will be able to get back to their jobs and their normal daily lives. In the meantime, no paychecks are coming in, their savings accounts are bone dry, and they are putting groceries on credit cards.

Don’t wait until you’re desperate to apply for SSD. Social Security Disability shouldn’t be a last resort; it’s a program to help disabled people get through tough times.

Another important reason to apply as soon as you become disabled is that SSD benefits only go back to a maximum of one year before your application is filed. If you wait two years, for example, you’ll lose back benefits you would have received if you had applied earlier.

Remember-when it comes to Social Security Disability benefits, you only get what you ask for, and the only way to ask is to file an application.

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