How Will I Pay My Bills While Waiting for My Social Security Disability Insurance Approval?

After you file your application for SSDI benefits, you will have to wait about three to five months to find out if you’ve been approved. Sometimes the process can take much longer. Even if you get approved quickly, there is one more obstacle. Social Security has a five-month waiting period from the time you became disabled to the time you start to receive benefits. If your application is denied and you file an appeal, the wait will be even longer.

You will need income to support yourself and your family until you start receiving benefits. This is a difficult situation, but you do have several options:

1. If you are able to work part-time, you can get a job. But you have to be careful not to earn too much money because too high an income from work will make you ineligible for benefits. In 2018, the earning limit was $1,180 per month. If you earn above that, Social Security may rule that you are not disabled. That will cause your application for benefits to be denied.
2. You can apply for public assistance. New York State has several temporary assistance programs. You can apply for these programs in the Department of Social Services located in the county where you live unless you live in New York City. In that case, you would file at your local Job Center.
3. You may have to rely on other income, such as income from a spouse’s work, assistance from friends or relatives, taking equity from your home, or borrowing against a retirement plan. You may have to cut your expenses to help make ends meet.
4. You can hire an attorney to help get your application or appeal processed efficiently so that you receive a decision as quickly as possible.