In order to be found disabled by the Social Security Administration, a person must be unable to perform work activity for a period of at least a year. After having been found disabled, Social Security will periodically review a person’s medical impairments to determine if he or she continues to have a disabling condition. This review is called a Continuing Disability Review (CDR).
The frequency of a CDR depends on how Social Security categorizes your long-term prognosis. There are three categories:
- Medical Improvement Expected: Social Security will review a case 6 to 18 months after benefits start
- Medical Improvement Possible: Social Security will review a case every 3 years
- Medical Improvement Not Expected: Social Security will review a case every 5 to 7 years.
The Notice of Award that is received after being found eligible for benefits will normally have a paragraph called “Things to Remember for the Future.” This paragraph will say how often Social Security will perform a review. When it is time for Social Security to review a claim for benefits, they will ask for updated information about your condition including what doctors and treatment you have been receiving. If the claim is for SSI, Social Security will also review a person’s income, resources, and living arrangements to determine if the person continues to meet those requirements.
If Social Security determines that a person’s condition has improved, they can stop his or her disability benefits. However, if the condition has remained the same or gotten worse, benefits will continue. If a person’s benefits are stopped after a CDR, that decision can be appealed and a person can ask for benefits to continue while the appeal is pending.
For more information on continuing disability reviews with Social Security, contact an experienced Social Security disability attorney at Gardberg & Kemmerly, P.C. today at 251-343-1111 for a free case evaluation. Gardberg & Kemmerly, P.C. represents Social Security disability claimants in Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, and Louisiana at all levels of the disability process from initial application to appeals to Federal Court.