If I Apply For Disability And Go Back To Work, Do I Need To Report This?

How to prove you are disabled
and win disability benefits

If you have applied for disability with the Social Security Administration, you should understand that work is the second component in your eligibility determination for disability benfits. All Social Security disability determinations involve both a medical and work performance determination. The fact that you have returned to some work while applying for SSDI (social security disability insurance) or SSI does not necessarily mean your disability claim will be denied. However, it is extremely important for you to report all work activity to Social Security as soon as possible.

If you are performing substantial gainful work activity, your disability claim may be denied. This will happen whether you are just filing your claim, or your claim has been pending for some time and awaiting a decision. What is SGA? SGA is a monthly earnings amount that Social Security has deemed to be self-supporting. If you are earning over the SGA amount, you are not disabled under the guidelines of the Social Security disability program even if your disabling condition is terminal (to see the current limit:How much can you work and still receive disability benefits?).

However, if you are working but earning under the SGA monthly earning’s amount, your disability claim will not be denied. But, while working under the SGA earnings amount will not cause your disability claim to be denied, it still has to be officially addressed in your disability file.

If you do not report going back to work to Social Security, you may cause your disability claim to be denied even if you are medically approved for disability. This is why it is advisable for any person who applies for disability to understand how work affects disability eligibility. If you do not understand the effect work has upon your disability eligibility, you should contact Social Security prior to returning to any kind of work activity so as not to disadvantage your disability claim.

So many people who file for disability benefits do not understand SSDI and SSI disability work guidelines; consequently they are very disappointed to find that their claims while medically approved are still denied for the performance of SGA-level work activity. Report all work activity timely to Social Security and you may be able to avoid a costly pitfall.

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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