I Received a Fully Favorable Decision, Now What?

If you have recently received a fully favorable decision from a Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) judge, then congratulations! After a long application and appeal process, you have finally been approved to receive your much-needed disability benefits.

But what happens next after you get that long-awaited approval letter in the mail? When will you see some money and start receiving monthly payments?

The Steps Involved in Getting Your SSDI Back Pay

The Social Security Administration (SSA) doesn’t start paying out benefits right away after approval. There is still some processing time involved before you get your first payment. Here’s what you can expect:

The Payment Center Calculates Your Benefit Amount

The SSA field offices transfer your approval notice to the Payment Center. This is the office that handles all accounting and payments. Here they will double-check dates and eligibility factors and calculate the exact amount you are owed in SSDI back payments and monthly benefits going forward.

SSA Notifies You of Your Benefit Details

Within 1-2 months of the approval notice, you’ll get a ”Notice of Award” confirming your monthly benefit rate, total past due benefits owed, deductions (if any), and approximate date of your first payment. This helps set expectations upfront.

You Get Your Lump Sum Retroactive Payment

Within 3 months (sometimes faster), the Payment Center will issue your lump sum back payment for all benefits owed from your established disability onset date until now. It may come on a prepaid card or through direct deposit you set up.

Ongoing Monthly Payments Begin

At the same time or right after your retroactive lump sum payment goes out, you will receive monthly SSDI deposits of your benefit rate going forward. For most beneficiaries with direct deposit, ongoing payments arrive on the 3rd of every month.

Use the SSA Payments Dashboard

Once payments begin, you can also set up and log into your personal My Social Security account online to use the Payments Dashboard feature. This helps you monitor the status of all payments issued and track each step along the way.

The process may seem lengthy, but the good news is that a fully favorable decision means the hard work is done – approval is secure and payments are now in motion! Within a few months, you will have financial relief and stability again thanks to the essential SSDI benefits you deserve.