Not all New Jersey residents who are getting Supplemental Security Income (SSI) are completely unable to work and perform substantial gainful activity (SGA). Simply being blind, disabled, 65 or older and having limited income does not imply that work is impossible. With these criteria for SSI benefits being met, the person can still try and get back into the workforce or even start their own business. However, a frequent sticking point is a lack of understanding as to how the Social Security Administration (SSA) handles circumstances where a person who was getting SSI, tried to work and failed.
Expedited reinstatement is critical to people who were getting SSI and had their benefits stop when they tried to work. Failing after trying to work and losing the benefits can put disabled individuals in a precarious position. Fortunately, expedited reinstatement is available. The claimant can request that the benefits restart without the need to go through the process of filing a new application.
When asking for the expedited reinstatement, the person can do so in the following situations: if the benefits ceased because they earned too much from working; they cannot perform SGA due to their impairment that is the same or is linked to the impairment that warranted an approval for SSI before; and the request to restart the benefits is made within five years from when the benefits stopped.
The SSA must get updated medical information so the Disability Determination Services (DDS) can decide on the case. Once the application to reinstate the benefits has been approved, the temporary benefits will start the next month. It is also possible to get Medicaid. These benefits will continue for as much as six months while the decision on whether the fully reinstate the benefits is made. In situations where the person cannot get the benefits again, the benefits that were paid temporarily do not need to be repaid.
