Does Social Security Disability Change at Age 62?
Individuals may be eligible to recover Social Security Disability Insurance Benefits (SSDI) if a long-term injury, illness, or permanent disability prevents them from working at a substantial gainful activity (SGA). However, obtaining SSDI benefits is oftentimes an uphill battle. In fact, the majority of SSDI benefit applications are rejected the first time around – usually for insufficient medical documentation.
Because it is so difficult for many individuals to receive SSDI benefits, many people worry that they might someday lose their benefits – especially as they grow older.
Generally speaking, you are eligible to receive your retirement benefits when you turn 62 years old. However, your SSDI benefits will not necessarily convert at that time.
Rather, the Social Security Administration (SSA) will convert your SSDI benefits into retirement benefits automatically upon your reaching “full retirement age.”
A knowledgeable Orange County Social Security disability benefits attorney in your area can answer all of your questions about obtaining the benefits you deserve and the possible effects that retirement may have on your disability benefits eligibility.
Becoming Eligible for SSDI Benefits
To be eligible for SSDI benefits, you must suffer from a long-term illness or injury that prevents you from working at any job or in any capacity. To prove that you are eligible for disability benefits, you must ordinarily have a qualified medical provider on board in your case. In a written medical record, the provider must state – to a reasonable degree of medical certainty – that your long-term illness or injury prevents you from performing a substantial gainful activity (SGA). In many cases, the SSA rejects disability applications when they lack the necessary medical documentation.
In those circumstances, an applicant may be eligible to file an administrative appeal and attach relevant documentation that supports their benefits claim. Once an applicant exhausts their administrative appeal remedies, they may be eligible to file an appeal in federal court. However, at that time, they will no longer be eligible to supplement the record with additional medical documentation.
What Is an Individual’s “Full Retirement Age”?
Once you attain full retirement age, the SSA will convert your SSDI benefits into retirement benefits automatically. However, many people fail to understand that an individual’s full retirement age is not 62 years old. Rather, the year that you were born determines your full retirement age. For instance, your full retirement age will be 67 if you were born in 1960 or some later year. Therefore, if you currently receive SSDI benefits, those benefits will not become retirement benefits until you reach 67 years of age.
Once you reach full retirement age, the amount of SSDI benefits that you receive will remain the same. Therefore, you should not worry about how this conversion will affect your future finances.
Call an Experienced California SSDI Benefits Attorney Today
If you are interested in applying for SSDI benefits, you should have an experienced attorney representing you at all times. A knowledgeable SSDI benefits lawyer can help you file an application for benefits, gather supporting medical documentation, and recover the full amount of long-term disability benefits you deserve.