A Beginner’s Guide to Navigating Florida’s Disability Process

If you are suffering from a disabling condition, applying for disability benefits can easily be a daunting and convoluted process. Once you have applied, and the SSA qualifies your disability benefits, you may not know what to expect next.

Navigating through the ebbs and flows of the Social Security disability process in Florida doesn’t have to be complex and filled with SSA jargon.

We have provided the intricate details of how the Social Security disability process typically works and what to expect each step of the way.

The Process

Before you begin navigating through the Social Security disability process, remember that simply being diagnosed with a disabling condition will not qualify you for disability benefits. The SSA is concerned with how your disabling condition prevents you from working.

1. Apply

The first step is to apply for disability benefits. There are two different types of disability benefits you can apply for– Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). SSI functions similar to an income, whereas SSDI functions as an insurance program. Both payments are provided through taxes; however, SSDI payments are relative to how much you have paid into the Social Security system and SSI is funded through general revenues.

You have a few different options available to apply for disability benefits including:

• Online
• In-person, and
• Over the phone

2. Awards Letter

Once you have successfully applied and supplied the SSA with the appropriate medical documentation required, you should receive a letter that informs you whether or not you have been approved.

This letter details when you will begin receiving your disability benefits payments, the amount of your Social Security disability benefits and what to do next.

3. Reviews

In your awards letter, the SSA will tell you when to expect your initial review. Their review process is a tool used to evaluate the state of your disabling condition. The timing of your reviews will depend on the nature of your medical condition and whether medical improvement is expected.

It is up to you, however, to notify the SSA of any changes, good or bad, in your condition. The review process is meant to evaluate whether you are still medically eligible and qualified to receive disability benefits based on your inability to work.

4. Retirement

If you are still receiving disability benefits when you reach the age of full retirement, then the SSA will automatically enroll you for medicare. If you have been receiving disability benefits for 24 months, your Medicare will start before your benefits convert to Retirement.  Your benefits will also roll-over into SSA retirement benefits.

How Will You Navigate Through?

Navigating through the Social Security disability process isn’t always as cut and dry as outlined and detailed above. If you are having difficulty understanding the SSA jargon and processes, at any stage of the disability process, you should contact an expert who can help guide you through their processes.