When you file for Social Security disability, you will have to tell Social Security a specific onset date when you became disabled.
In most cases, this will be the day you stopped working, and usually, most people apply for disability within a few months, or maybe one year of when they stop working.
There are, however, other considerations to take into account when determining an onset date.
A big issue is age. The way the Social Security system is structured, it is much easier to be approved when you turn 50 or 55. It is very common for someone to stop working when they are 48 or 49, but find that their best interest of being approved is to amend their onset date to their 50th birthday.
Often, I will advise clients with an onset date just a few weeks or months before their 50th birthday that it’s almost always in their best interests to change their onset date to when they turned 50.
Another common issue that arises is lack of supporting medical treatment. Let’s say you stopped working in early 2020, but due to insurance issues, you didn’t really start seeing doctors for any conditions until 2021.
Regardless of how you might have felt in 2020, Social Security is going to require medical evidence to issue a favorable decision, so amending to a later onset date is almost certainly going to be the only way to receive a favorable decision.
There are other considerations as well with onset dates, such as when Social Security Disability Insurance coverage ends, or new conditions arising after applying, so determining the best onset date in your case and understanding how it could affect any backpay is something best discussed with an attorney familiar with your specific case.
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