Can You Lose Your Social Security Disability Benefits after You get Them?

How to prove you are disabled
and win disability benefits

Getting approved for disability (social security disability or SSI disability) is a long and difficult experience for most applicants. The application level, the reconsideration appeal level, and the hearing level can, timewise, amount to three years or more (though this is not always the case). During that time, many applicants suffer extreme financial hardship.

In addition to that, many, or most, applicants go without critical access to needed medical care that, in addition to exacerbating their condition, makes it more difficult to win their disability cases (because without access to doctors, it is very difficult to present the social security administration with current medical documentation that is needed to substantiate a claim).

If it were very easy for a person to easily lose their disability benefits after having put so much time and effort (and anxiety and financial loss as well) into getting them in the first place, then the federal disability system would be even worse than it currently is. Fortunately, however, most applicants for SSD or SSI disability benefits who get approved will retain their benefits after a continuing disability review, or CDR, has been conducted.

A CDR is simply a review that is done every few years (usually every three years or more, but in some cases as long as every seven years, and as little as one year from the date of the initial approval) to ascertain whether or not a person is still medically disabled and, thus, entitled to receive disability benefits. Most reviews that are done end with this result: the individual has their benefits continued, meaning they are found to be still disabled.

This happens because it is very difficult for the social security administration to prove that medical improvement has taken place. So, in other words, if you have a review of your case, there is typically little to worry about.

Return to: SSDRC, or the Questions, Answers, Tips, and Advice page

Individual Questions and Answers

Will Social Security Decide That I can go Back to My Old Job?

Can I Receive Disability Benefits with Back problems?

The Request for a Disability Hearing

For Disability, What Does It Mean When A person Can Only Do Sedentary Work?

Can a disability attorney speed up my disability hearing? By What Methods?

Applying for disability benefits in Texas

Disability Lawyers, Medical Records, and Social Security Hearings - Should you go to a Hearing alone?

Application Requirements For Disability - What Do I Need To Start The Claim?

What is an extended period of eligibility for social security disability or SSI ?

How Does Social Security Disability Make Its Decision?

Vocational expert at a disability hearing - what is this

What happens if a reconsideration for Social Security Disability or SSI is denied?/a>

Does social security care if you are working when you are applying for disability?

Getting Social Security Disability Help for your Case

How long Does SSI last?

Can I Collect Unemployment While I File For Disability Benefits (SSD or SSI)?

SSI for children

How Long Can You Receive Social Security Disability Benefits (SSDI)?

Social Security Denial - What should be done if your disability is denied?

Social Security Disability Approvals - Medical Conditions and Getting Approved

Will The Condition You have Determine How Much You Get For Disability?

If I Request A Hearing For SSDI, How Long Will I have to Wait?

The Continuing Disability Review

The Administrative Law Judge At A Disability Hearing

Social Security Disability Requirements

Hiring a Qualified Disability Lawyer in Florida

Do Most Social Security Disability Reconsiderations Get Turned Down?

What if you get denied for disability multiple times?

What are the Application Requirements For SSI Disability?

If You Get Disability Benefits, Will Your Dependents Get A Check?

Winning at a Social Security Disability Hearing

Social Security Disability Fee and What a Lawyer is Paid

Why Will You be Sent to a Social Security Doctor?

How to File for SSI

Doing the SSDI Appeal Online

How Do I Apply For Disability- What Is The First Step?

The Social Security Medicare 24 Month Waiting Period

The Social Security Disability Five Month Waiting Period

Should I have to go to court or get a Lawyer to get approved for Social Security disability or SSI?

SSD and SSI are Federal Programs

The title II Social Security Disability and title 16 SSI Disability programs operate under federal guidelines and, therefore, the program requirements--medical and non-medical--apply to all states:

Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming

Recent approval and denial statistics for various states can be viewed here:

Social Security Disability, SSI Approval and Denial Statistics by state

Special Section: Disability Lawyers and unnecessary claim denials