diabetes Ssdi Onset Date Has Me Confused.

[kluender]

Yesterday, I received a letter from Social Security. Topic: Supplemental Security Income Notice. It states, "We have found that you meet the medical requirements for disability benefits. An explanation of our finding is attached.....We have not yet mad a decision about whether you meet the non-medical requirements...."

While overjoyed that my case has come this far and so fast, the part that I'm concerned about is the onset date. My application states that I stopped working March 3rd, 2010, which would be my alleged onset date. I received 100% total and permanent disability from VA in October, 2010.

Conditions listed on the Social Security Administration Explanation of Determination are:

Anxiety

Depression

Memory loss

Ankles problems

Diabetes

Intervertebral disc syndrome

Paralysis of the sciatic nerve

Pes planus

Plantar fasciitis

Urinary incontinence

It then reads, "While you may have experienced symptoms related to these as early as 03/04/10, you did not meet the SSA disability requirements at that time. Based on the evidence in your file, the earliest date that you met the requirements for disability was 04/04/14. Prior to that time, the limitation by condition would not have prevented you from returning to doing all types of work. Therefore we have established an onset date for your disability as of 04/04/14."

From 03/03/10 until present, my condition hasn't changed except for being down graded from 50% to 30% for depression in 2010, prior to receiving 100% from VA in Oct, 2010. I know that if I appeal, my case can be reviewed and I could be denied SSDI. Does anyone have any idea why my onset date would be 04/04/2014? The only thing significant about that date for me is that it's birthday. So far, I haven't used a lawyer.

Should I be concerned that the subject of the notice reads, "Supplemental Security Income", instead of, "Supplemental Security Disability Income"?

Thanks for your help.

[Buck52]

Date of Disability

The second and more important factor regarding when a person's disability starts is the onset date of their disability -- that is, when their disability began. When an SSD claimant files an application for disability benefits, they indicate (on the application) when they think their disability began. This is known as the alleged onset date, or AOD.

A disability claimant who has been approved for benefits will be given an EOD, or "established" onset date. The established onset date is set by a DDS disability examiner, or an administrative law judge (if your case has gone to hearing), and is considered to be the date for when a claimant's disability actually began.The EOD will be based entirely on the claimant's medical records and work history. In other words, how far back an individual's disability is determined to have began will be decided according to the evidence available from the claimant's doctor's reports, lab results, and disability application.

For SSI, the date of disability is often before the application date, but the SSA won't set an EOD before the date of application (since SSI recipients can't get benefits before the month of application). In the case that the SSA says the EOD is after the application date, the SSI recipient would start to get benefits starting on the EOD rather than the month following the application.

For SSDI, whether or not benefits will be payable back to the beginning of the 12-month retroactive period time will depend on the onset date that is established, either by a disability examiner or by an administrative law judge. But there is another twist in calculating the SSDI starting date: a waiting period.

[Buck52]

Onset Date of Disability

Question 10 says “Enter the date you became unable to work because of your illness, injuries, or conditions.” This date is called your alleged onset date, the date that you claim your disability began. The onset date is important and will affect how much backpay (retroactive benefits) you will receive if you claim is approved. The earlier your onset date, the more backpay you'll get. (For more information, see our articles about disability back payments.)

If your disability began with a specific incident like a car accident, then this may be an easy question for you to answer. However, if your disability is caused by one or more illnesses that have worsened gradually over time, then the question will probably be difficult. Most people have never tried to remember the date they became disabled. The date of disability is usually considered to be when your medical condition started to make you unable to do your job effectively.

If you have never thought about when you became disabled, sit down with a calendar or talk with friends or family to jog your memory about the history of your disability. For example, it may be that you were diagnosed with fibromyalgia in October 2009 while you were still employed, but the illness worsened over time and resulted in some poor job performance. Friends and family may be able to help you remember when the illness impaired your ability to work, and that would be your onset date.

Another source of information that can help you establish your onset date is treatment providers (the doctors and hospitals you've visited). If you became disabled while you were seeing a medical provider, requesting and reviewing those medical records may help you pinpoint your onset date.

Details of Your Disability