Will my disability case be reviewed after I am awarded disability benefits?

This is a question that comes up quite frequently. In fact, I would be surprised if this question did not occur in the mind of any individual who had been approved for either social security disability or SSI disability benefits.

The way the disability system is currently set up, individuals who have been awarded benefits are "diaried" to have their claims reviewed at periodic intervals. What does "diaried" mean? It means that an individual's disability claim will be reviewed every 1, 3, or 7 years. It doesn't always work out this way, of course---depending on how much work is sitting on a CR's desk, a case that is diaried for 3 years may not be reviewed until the 4th or 5th year (CR stands for Claims rep---claims reps are the individuals who process retirement and disability claims at social security offices and they also handle reviews of claims).

When a claim is reviewed, a CDR is conducted. CDR stands for continuing disability review. During such a review, a disability benefit recipient's medical condition will be reviewed to determine if the recipient still meets the social security administration's definition of disability.

If you have been approved for disability benefits, should you be worried about a future review of your disability claim? No, the majority of claims are, in fact, continued, following the performance of a continuing disability review. This is because, to be taken off disability benefits, a person's medical records must document the existence of medical improvement. And, in most instances, the medical records of an individual who has previously been approved will not show this.




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