After the Extended Period of Eligibility, you’ll be in a 5 year period called Expedited Reinstatement.

During this 5 year period, if you again become unable to earn more than $1,620 (or work at all) because of your disability, you can request that your benefits be reinstated. That means that you won’t have to start a whole new benefits application. There will be a medical review before benefits are reinstated.

You can contact your local Social Security office to request Expedited Reinstatement of your benefit.

While they are processing your request, you can get up to 6 month of provisional benefits.

If your request is denied, provisional benefits will stop; you don’t have to pay them back unless Social Security finds that there was fraud.

If your request is approved, you will be a 24 month period called the Initial Reinstatement Period. During this period, you get your full SSDI check any month you earn less than $1,620. If you earn more than $1,620, you don’t get your check.

At the end of the Initial Reinstatement Period, you can start over on the road to work!

Go to previous section: The Grace Period

Go to next section: Work Incentive for Anyone: Impairment Related Work Expenses