r/SSDI

Checked my portal today- approved! Initial application- no lawyer- filled September 2025.

I never thought I'd live to see this day! But finally I'm fully approved!! Now wonder how long it'll take to get my back pay.

Social security disability insurance

I was at my pain management appt today and asked about filling out the forms for disability. She said they do not fill out anything for disability. She told me to get my primary care dr to fill it out. I dont use a pcm as my issues are just my back and neck. I dont even need pcm for referrals You think my surgeon would fill them out or do I have to get a pcm?.

Thanks

Website finally updated to read approved. Currently reads

We have sent a detailed notice to you with your benefit information. You should receive your notice within 10 to 15 days.

The website doesn’t have any financial info

Does this mean that they have finalized the backpay amount, Medicare , etc?

Thanks

Just wanted to make a light post so we can all get a good chuckle. I'm currently in the ALJ phase and will be meeting with potential lawyers next week and I'm a little nervous due to my age (37F). I received my SSA file yesterday and aside from several specialists and their notes missing from my file (along with several other errors) I couldn't help but laugh when I got to the VE portion.

"Shaker". Shaker?! What the heck am I shaking? Salt, martinis, my booty? 💃🏻 My husband was like "isn't that a religion? And don't they build stuff?!" 🤣

And yes I did look up the code and it's a "garment shaker" whose job is to shake out wet clothes, etc. Still 😅

Please share any jobs the VE has recommended for you or a loved one that you couldn't help but 🤨.

Serious question: due to my "age, education, and RFC report" the VE classified me to "light duty". If my last job position I worked was "sedentary" (admin assistant in a dental office) and I couldn't even continue doing that due to my physical limitations, how will that play out? I have plenty of documentation from several specialists that back up "sedentary" at most with several limitations.

I was able to get a friendly SSA agent who also happened to be a Veteran.

They said the DDS rated and considered me for "osteoporisis". I never filed or claimed osteoporisis. Specifcially, I filed for PTSD, TBI, migraines, tinnitus, chronic fatigue, etc. None of these were in my file or medical consideration according to the SSA agent.

Is this something that can be quickly solved through reconsideration? I plan on filing in-person

In the beginning they had me concurrent with SSI & SSDI. I was approved very quickly with no lawyer, hearing, or denial. I was only just approved in April. I actually got a small amount of back pay May 3rd as well.

Today I saw on the portal the I have been disqualified from SSI and I have been switched to straight SSDI. I don’t mind sharing my award amount. $1300 per month.

I saw a message in the portal messages saying I was being garnished for a child support order. Child support that ended in 2010. I have a passport. I do not own child support. The state of Washington issued a discharge and paid in full, and a declaration that I owe nothing.

I was on the phone today with child support three times and SSA four times. I even hand a conference call. Washington issued a discharge when SSA verified the child support order. Today, they issued one again.

SSA says they have no release or discharge and they are going to take all of my back pay (despite not even knowing how much money is still owned). Hint, there is no unpaid balance, they are just going to take it anyway.

Now Washington State is dragged in like a middle man and they’re going to have to cut me a check for every dollar SSA sends them.

My attitude is that Washington State is going to get sick and tired of it and demand SSA stop garnishing my check.

SSA is absolutely ridiculous. I have not owed child support since 2010, So this case SSA is attacking me on is over 15 years old and no is longer active.

I have no idea how to fix this mess.

I finally passed the 4th step and it says I was approved on May 8th! I'm so relieved, bills have started piling up heavily since I can only work a certain amount.

Does anyone know when I might see it in my bank account?

I know Georgia is severely backlogged but goodness . So I Originally applied 1/1/24
Was assigned and denied in 04/25/25. Hired lawyer and appealed 5/5/25.
Still waiting on an examiner to be assigned as of 5/12/26 .
I have congressional interest x2. Monthly since November . My case is packed full of evidence and all the forms . I just need someone to look at it . Is everyone else in Georgia waiting over a year to be assigned an examiner ?

My portal for SSDI was just updated today for a federal quality review. I’m praying this is a good sign that I will be approved. Has anyone here been through this and what was your outcome?

Checked my portal last night, and saw that it moved to step 4, so I called my lawyer this morning. She was in a meeting so I left a voicemail and proceeded to call SSA. While waiting for a rep, my lawyer called me back and just OH MY FUCKING GOD.

FULLY FAVORABLE!!!!!

I've been crying for the last hour calling my family and friends to let them know, and my lawyer has already emailed me the approval letter, which was mailed yesterday.

Now to see how long it will take to start receiving the benefits and then switching to Medicare and figuring out if I can be on a dual advantage plan or if medicaid will no longer cover me. That does have me stressed out a bit as I've been on medicaid for 8 years now 😅 but overall I'm feeling so incredibly relieved and thankful that I'll be able to pay bills without stressing and focus more on my health. 🙏🙏🙏 I'm so grateful to all of you for your support and advice the past couple of years.

Edit to add: My onset date is September 1, 2023 and I was approved based on:

bilateral sacroiliac joint dysfunction; bilateral lower limb piriformis syndrome; levoscoliosis of the thoracic spine; and mild DDD lumbar spine (20 CFR 404.1520(c) and 416.920(c)).

I was 24 at onset date, filed at 25, am 27 now, and symptoms first started when I was 20.

I had my ALJ on January 7, 2026 was denied on February 4,2026 which my lawyer sent directly to the appeals council. Due to a hostile situation and becoming homeless, I submitted a dire needs request and they granted expedition yesterday. I checked the portal today, one day later and it states they denied my case. I cannot believe this is happening to me. It just doesn’t seem right. Has anybody else had this happen?

So i draw DAC survivors disability from my deceased father, he worked for 30 years in the coal mines back breaking work, got black lung and kidney issues and died at 49 and i draw it from his record. But i have always wondered am i still taking from the taxpayers or getting welfare i guess. I hate the feeling of feeling like i'm a leech on society it's just hard but i also feel like i'm just drawing what my father paid in and couldn't draw for himself But yeah what would i say to someone who says otherwise? Also this is kinda a embarrasing question to ask but anyway's i want to ask it. also with all this fraud taking place all over the country it makes me feel like i'm to apart of the problem by drawing the income i get.

One more question i have is i'm hearing social security is gonna run out by like 2032 or something so am i screwed? Thanks so much for answering this.

Edit: Everyone has been so helpful and encouraging in these comments. thanks alot guys for reasurring me, that helps more than u know!.

I have longitme MS, and my strongest piece of evidence is probably my FCE (done by an OT) that my neurologist and pcp signed off on along with its work restrictions. I am in recon, and my CE was clean and basically backs up the FCE. Did anyone else have this combo- what was your experience? Did the SSA accept the limitations outlined in your FCE?

Background on me, I am already a 100% disabled Operation Enduring Freedom veteran of the Marine Corps, Army, and National Guard. I served for 10 years; 6 active and 4 years Guard time until I couldn't pass the physical anymore to stay in service. I have a Bachelor's Degree and taught ESL (English as a Second Language) for 6 years until my osteoarthritis and other health conditions got so bad I couldn't continue to teach. I've worked most of my life full-time until 2017. Since that time, all I did was part-time work teaching until 2021.

My health conditions are as follows; 4 shoulder operations, 1 on my right and 3 on my left with no repetitious lifting and no lifting of over 15 pounds. My bones flake off in my shoulders and cut into my tendons. I have impingement syndrome, so they have to go into my shoulders to take out the bone spurs if I'm not careful and have more surgeries on them. I've had 2 wrist surgeries, scoliosis in my neck, 12 hernia repairs in my stomach and both sides of my groin, 6 inches of my colon removed from diverticulitis, chronic kidney stones, GERD, PTSD, depression, anxiety, osteoarthritis, diabetic, bone spurs in both feet, deteriorating joints disease, degeneration of lumbosacral intervertebral disc, lumbosacral spondylosis, asthma, and chronic pain. I have to wear compression gloves at night, so I can move my hands in the morning. I've never had to convince someone of how all my issues painfully hurt constantly.

I cannot sit at a desk anymore or even try to teach online because of my back. I have a very hard time dealing with mental health issues due to my service. I served as a military policeman. Any help would be greatly appreciated on how to approach my situation with the judge. I heard he has over a 70% approval rating and he knows my lawyer. Apparently, he's had a lot of success with this judge. Any advice?

So I finally got an ALJ hearing scheduled for early August, but my lawyer's office called me yesterday and told me that the judge has canceled the hearing and made a decision. It's in the writing phase now and once its done there it will go back to the judge for approval and then be sent out to me in the mail. My lawyer said this is always a good thing in their experience and they expect a fully favorable decision. They explained it to me as, if the judge's decision was "No" or "I dont know" then we would still have the need to go to a hearing. Legally I am allowed to have the opportunity to speak up for myself at an ALJ hearing. But if the judge has reviewed my case and determined I am eligible then there is no need for the hearing. Does anyone know how true that is? It's so nerve racking to wait for a decision and I dont want to get my hopes up in case its another denial. Have any of yall had it happen where the hearing got canceled?

ALJ approved my husband once expert verified there was no other work he could do. Lawyer says it's very possible that the judge will get it wrote up and sent to SSA within the next 2 wks since he decided at the end of the hearing that he was fully favorable. Does anyone have experience in this? From my understanding it could be a couple of months before he sees any back pay? (going back over 2 yrs)

I just found out I was approved (yay!) and have received my back pay (before my award letter came in the mail so shocking).

Like many people I am losing my Medicaid coverage, and my Medicare coverage is active (I was awarded back to Jan 2023)

I’m asking about what kind of plans people find the most beneficial that have a LOT of doctors (therapist, hematologist, pcp, neurologist x2, electrophysiologist) and am on about 11 medications.

Do I look at advantage plans? Try to qualify for Medicaid qmb? Can I still get Medicaid qmb if I pick an advantage plan?

My sister was just awarded SSDI late last year and started recieving payments this year, however she was just arrested a month ago on a Level 5 Felony for Battery (long story). I understand SSDI will suspend her benefits since she's been in jail for more than 30 days, but I'm wondering about the Continuing Disability Review. The judge recommended redetermination every 2 years. The average sentance for what she's done is 3 years. Does anyone know if they'll conduct the CDR while she's in jail, and will her being incarcerated interfere with the process? Thanks!