Once you start receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits, they last for as long as you continue to be eligible to receive them. If your eligibility ends, you also lose your benefits. However, because you were once approved to receive such benefits, the Social Security Administration allows you to reinstate your benefits as soon as you find yourself once again eligible to receive these benefits.
Reinstatement Time
The regular period of time that the Social Security office takes to decide whether you are eligible to receive SSI benefits and start paying you these benefits is from three to five months. However, if you were receiving SSI benefits and they stopped, you can request these benefits to start again without having to submit a new application.
Conditions
Your SSI benefits can be reinstated without the need for submitting a new application under specific circumstances. First, the reason your benefits stopped must be related to your increase in job-related earnings. Second, your ability to perform substantial gainful activity per month must be limited due to the same medical condition that made you eligible to receive SSI benefits previously or at least in relation to such condition. Third, you must make the request for reinstatement within five years, starting from the moment your previous SSI benefits ended.
Reinstatement Benefits Date
The Social Security office may approve your request for reinstatement. If your request is approved, your temporary benefits start the month following the month in which you made your request. Temporary benefits can last up to six months.
Temporary Benefits
It takes up to a month to approve your request for reinstatement. However, this does not mean that your benefits have been completely restored. While you are receiving temporary benefits, the Social Security office is determining your eligibility to completely reinstate your benefits after the six months of temporary benefits. The Social Security office analyzes your medical condition and updates your medical information. If they decide that you are eligible to continue receiving SSI benefits, your temporary benefits become regular SSI benefits. If you are not eligible to receive benefits, your temporary benefits end. The Social Security office does not ask you to return the payments you received for temporary benefits.