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alleged onset date

How to Choose the Right Onset Date for Your Disability Claim

alleged onset dateWhen you apply for disability benefits, one of the first questions that Social Security will ask you is “when did you become disabled?” or “what onset date do you want to use?”  Social Security calls this date your alleged onset date and it will be used throughout the course of your disability claim.

Interestingly, many of my clients tell me that this question caught them off guard – what date should they choose? Sometimes, as we approach a hearing date I may discover that we have to change, or amend, the onset date. But, as you will see, it is much better to choose the right onset date early on as opposed to changing it later.

What is the “Best” Onset Date for Your Disability Claim?

Social Security will find that you are disabled if the symptoms arising from your medical problems make it impossible for you to work. Thus, your onset date ought to be the day when you could no longer perform the duties of any type of work even a simple, entry-level job. Continue reading →

How to Explain Earnings After Your Disability Onset Date

If your earnings record shows salary earned after the date you say you became disabled, you can be sure that the judge in your Social Security disability hearing will ask for an explanation.

Example:  you say you became disabled on April 3, but your earnings record shows income in May, June and July.

In this video I explain  how I advise my clients to respond to questions about post-onset earnings in three common scenarios:

  • unsuccessful work attempts
  • accrued earnings or benefits that are paid after the last date you were physically present at work
  • part time work

No matter what the reason, always discuss with your lawyer work, work attempts or payments received after the date you claim that your disability began.

What Does it Mean When a Judge Wants to Change Your Onset Date

As I noted this past November, I am starting to see more instances when a judge will want to change the “onset date” for my client’s disability.  What does this mean and should you be concerned?

Your onset date (called your Alleged Onset Date or AOD by Social Security) represents that date that you allege that you became disabled.  Usually your AOD will be the day after you last worked, although in some instances I have been able to argue for an AOD that was two or three months prior to my client’s last day of work if my client had changed from full time to part time, if the job had become a “make work” situation or if my client was missing days or parts of days.

Similarly, I have tried cases in which the AOD was several months after the last day of work.  This happens when a person is laid off because his employer is cutting staff and the medical evidence shows that the employee’s disability began at some point after the layoff.

In general, however, as rule of thumb, the last day of work is a good choice for your Alleged Onset Date.

Why, then, would a judge change your onset date?  Usually, a Social Security judge will try to associate your onset date to a specific medical treatment record.  For example, if the basis of your disability is back pain and an MRI showing a herniated disc is dated September 28, the judge may choose September 28 as the onset date.  Obviously in this example, your disc was herniated on September 27 and probably on August 27 and July 27 as well, but September 28 is a date on which there is objective evidence of a medical problem consistent with your testimony. Continue reading →

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