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YOU MAY LOSE THE RIGHT TO FILE A DISABILITY CLAIM

Did you know that after you stop working you may lose the right to file a new Social Security disability claim?  This is because your insured status with Social Security expires about 4 years after you stop performing regular work.

Many people assume that once they work enough to be covered by Social Security that they are always covered.  This is not true.  You continue to earn disability coverage byk working and continuing to pay FICA tax through your employer by payroll deduction. When you stop working regularly, your insured status will remain for about 4 years.  Then it goes away.  

Take the case of Jane.  She worked as a dispatcher for a transportation company for 22 years but quit work in 2010.  In late 2015, Jane was diagnosed with a cervical malignant tumor that would require extensive surgery and chemotherapy.  It was likely that she would not be able to work again, at least for a few years.  She decided to file for Social Security disability.

Imagine Jane's shock when she was informed that she was no longer covered by Social Security disability insurance.  Why?  Because she remained covered for only 4 years after she stopped earning wages, then Social Security "dropped" her.  On 12/31/14, Jane became "uninsured" for any disability which began after that date.  She was simply not eligible for any benefit under SSDI.

The moral of the story?  If you have stopped working within the last 2 or 3 years and believe that you may be disabled, file a Social Security disability claim immediately.  Approximately 4 years after your last paycheck (or regular work), you will lose all Social Security coverage for a new disability.

Waiting to file a disability claim can cause you severe and permanent financial harm.  Unless Jane is able to return to full time work int he future, and unless she works for a significant period of time in the future, she will never again be covered by SSDI insurance.  WARNING:  Once insured does not mean always insured with Social Security.  You eventually lose your coverage when you stop working.

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