If Social Security decides your benefits should stop, you can appeal. If you appeal within 10 days of getting the notice, you can usually ask for your checks to keep coming while the appeal is decided. You may have to pay them back if you lose, and we explain that choice with you.
Is this page for you?
- You received a review form and are not sure how to fill it in
- You got a notice that your benefits will stop
- You started working a little and are worried about your benefits
- You have not seen a doctor in a while and have a review coming
What we do
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1
Help with the review forms
We help you describe your current condition and treatment clearly and completely.
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2
Keep treatment records current
Reviews look at recent medical evidence. We help you make sure your current providers are listed.
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3
Appeal a cessation fast
If benefits are set to stop, we file the appeal and the request to keep benefits going within the deadline.
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4
Prepare for the hearing officer
A review appeal can include a meeting with a disability hearing officer. We prepare you and attend with you.
What to gather
Do not wait to call until you have everything. We can help find what is missing.
- The review form or the notice you received
- A list of your current doctors and medicines
- Any work you have done, with dates and pay
- Recent test results or hospital stays
How long it takes
Watch two deadlines on a cessation notice: about 10 days to keep benefits going during the appeal, and 60 days to appeal at all.
An honest note
If your health has truly improved, a review may end benefits, and we will tell you so. Social Security also has work programs that can help with the move back to work.
Example outcome
Illustrations written for this sample site. Every claim is different, and past results do not predict yours.
Example outcome · Continuing disability review
Benefits continued after a review
SSDI recipient, 61, heart failure
- The situation
- A notice said his benefits would stop. He had missed two cardiology visits after moving.
- What we did
- We appealed within 10 days, asked that benefits continue, and got his new cardiologist's records in.
- How it ended
- A hearing officer found he was still disabled. Benefits continued without a gap.
Approved
Common questions
How often does Social Security review cases?
It depends on whether they expect your condition to improve. Some people are reviewed every few years, others less often.
Can I work a little while on benefits?
Some work is allowed under Social Security's rules, but it can affect benefits. Talk to us or to Social Security before you start, so you know the limits.
What is the 10-day rule?
If you appeal a cessation within 10 days of receiving the notice, you can usually ask that your benefits continue during the appeal. You may need to repay them if the appeal is lost.