When applying for disability benefits, one of the frustrating aspects is the waiting period. Many people wait up to six months before they start receiving disability benefits. Not everyone realizes that they could be eligible for the benefits that were not paid during this waiting period. If you have questions, then feel free to reach out to a Pennsylvania delayed insurance benefits lawyer for answers.

Basics of Disability Benefits Back Pay

Many people do not start receiving disability benefits right away, even if their application was approved. Some disability benefits programs do not go into effect until six months after a disability benefits application is approved. Back pay can be described as all the money accumulated between disability benefits application submission and the established onset date.

Whether you applied for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), or both, you could be eligible for back pay. You might receive your disability benefits back pay at a different time depending on which program you applied for. For example, if you applied for both SSDI and SSI, you may experience a longer waiting time for back pay.

Back pay is all of the disability benefits money you would have been paid if you had started receiving benefits sooner. The total amount of back pay is added up by first counting the total number of months you were not given benefits. This ranges from when you submitted your disability claim to the established onset date.

An established onset date describes when your disability started. However, this may not always be literal because this date is determined by a judge or Disability Determination Services examiner. They base the date on medical records submitted with your application.

In some cases, back pay may also be considered for the time it took for a disability claim appeal to go through.

How to Request Your Back Pay

You can request back pay through the Social Security Administration (SSA) or by contacting a Pennsylvania disability benefits lawyer. In some cases, this process may happen automatically. The SSA keeps track of these payments in many cases and will automatically provide a lump sum no later than 60 days after your claim approval.

However, lump sums are only provided when SSDI benefits are involved. For SSI benefits, the back pay is not paid to applicants through a lump sum. Instead, SSI recipients will receive back pay in the form of monthly payments, often in month-based intervals.

This can be frustrating depending on your situation. Consider asking a disability lawyer for help if you have any concerns or questions. An experienced lawyer can help you calculate your back pay and increase your chances of disability benefits.

Disability Lawyer in Pennsylvania

You might be owed thousands of dollars in disability benefits back pay. Consider asking a Pennsylvania disability attorney for help if you think you could be eligible for disability benefits back pay. You can contact Edelstein & Nelson by dialing (800) 300-0909 for a consultation today about your legal options. Our experienced legal team is prepared to increase your chances of receiving the disability payments you need.