24 Oct How much money can I earn on Social Security Disability? Can I win even if I was initially denied?

If you are considering a certain job, make sure to keep in mind the SGA monthly earnings limit. With this you need to be sure to keep your income under/below the limit in order to be eligible for Social Security Disability. For this year, 2019, the SGA limit is $1220/month. The SGA limit adjust every year so be sure to keep updated with the newly adjusted income limits. Some complications can happen if you are not monitoring your monthly income.

That said, if you are exceeding the monthly income and still receiving benefits, it will be a while before this is noticed and will result in you having to pay back these over-payments for the months you were receiving benefits when you should not have. Another issue is that for those with new jobs, this can be a sign of your medical disability improving which will cause a medical disability review. This can be alarming as it can cause your payments to be revoked if your disability looks to be improved. 

Returning to work can be difficult and anxious, but always make sure to follow the SGA guidelines, work in conditions that will help you maintain your disability benefits and discuss with the SSA about your new job.

What to do if you are initially denied

• People often ask if there is any hope left for them after being denied the first time at a hearing. The answer to this is YES. You can always appeal your denied claim. 

• A different route is you can choose to start a new disability application as people do get approved on new claims. 

• The best route to choose if a judge has denied you at a hearing is purely on what seems better for your situation. 

• Either appeal your claim or start a new one, be sure to decide on what will benefit your disability claim situation more. One thing to remember is when a case is sent back there is a possibility that your appealed claim can be given back to the administrative law judge who previously denied your claim. 

• Ultimately, your case representative is always there to guide you and willing to offer guidance on what the next best step is.