Disability Experts of Florida

A.       Yes.  Medicaid is associated with SSI and Medicare is associated with Disability Insurance Benefits.  Medicaid begins immediately upon receipt of SSI.  Medicaid pays for prescription medications.  Medicaid can be retroactive up to three months prior to the date of an SSI claim.  Medicare begins after you have received Social Security Disability cash benefits for 24 months; that includes Disability insurance Benefits, Disabled Widows or Widowers Benefits or Disabled Adult Child Benefits. 

A.       You can file for Social Security Disability benefits on the day that you become disabled if you believe that you will be out of work for one year or more.  Often claimants are told they must wait 5 months or 1 year to file a claim; this is not true.  It is best to hire a representative to help you as early in the process as possible.

A.       Timely filing is a very important thing to remember with Social Security.  In all cases but two you have 60 days from the decision to apply for a higher-level appeal.  If you go past the 60-day period, without good cause, you may have to file an entirely new claim.  The two exceptions are (1) when your benefits have been ceased, you have 60 days to appeal the decision but only have 10 days to request your payments be continued during the appeal process, and (2) If your case was remanded by a Federal District Court and was again denied by a Judge you have 30 days to appeal the recommended decision to the Appeals Council.

A.        You should immediately contact the Social Security Office and file an appeal.  You have 60 days to appeal the decision terminating your benefits but only 10 days after being notified to request that your benefits be continued during the appeal. 

A.       The time periods vary from area to area, but generally most initial Social Security decisions are made within four months.  If you are turned down and have requested reconsideration it will generally take another four months to receive a decision.  If you are turned down and have requested a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge it could take up to two years before you have a hearing.  And, if you are turned down at the hearing level and have requested an Appeals Council review, it could take one year or more to receive a decision.

A.        The National Association of Disability Representatives (NADR) offers a referral service.  You may call NADR at 1-800-747-6131.  In Florida you can contact Disability Experts of Florida (Toll Free) at 1-866-643-9908 or (1-(866) 521-3429 or email