Principal Attorney
If you depend on Social Security Disability benefits to pay your bills, the thought of your benefits being revoked can cause a lot of anxiety. Understanding the circumstances under which the Social Security Administration may revoke your benefits can help you feel more in control. The five most common reasons the Social Security Administration may revoke your disability benefits include reaching the substantial gainful activity limit, medical improvement, failing to cooperate with the SSA, failing to follow the treatment your doctor indicates, and going to prison.
Substantial Gainful Activity
To receive disability benefits from the Social Security Administration, you must be incapable of substantial gainful activity due to your disability. Therefore, if you receive enough income that the SSA considers you to be engaged in substantial gainful activity, they will terminate your disability benefits.
This amount changes based on the national average wage index. For 2025, you must earn less than $2700 per month if you are statutorily blind and less than $1620 per month if you have any other type of disability. To keep your disability benefits from being terminated, you must avoid making enough money to constitute substantial gainful activity. However, the SSA allows you a nine-month trial work period to determine whether you can return to work and will only count your income after the trial work period is complete.
Medical Improvement
The SSA can also terminate your disability benefits if your medical condition improves to the point that you are no longer disabled. According to the SSA publication, “How We Decide if You Still Have a Qualifying Disability,” you will have a medical review to determine whether your condition has improved.
If the SSA expects you to improve, they’ll schedule your first medical review six to 18 months after your disability begins. If the SSA considers improvement possible, they’ll schedule a medical review every three years. If the SSA considers improvement unlikely, they’ll conduct a medical review every seven years.
Failure to Cooperate
If you don’t provide the information the SSA requests, provide inaccurate or misleading information, or otherwise fail to cooperate with the SSA, your Social Security benefits may be revoked.
Failure to Follow Doctor’s Advice
According to “How We Decide if You Still Have a Qualifying Disability,” failure to follow your doctor’s treatment plan can result in the termination of your benefits if:
- You have no legitimate reason for disregarding your doctor’s orders
- Following your doctor’s advice would make it possible for you to work
Going to Prison
According to the SSA document “What Prisoners Need to Know,” Social Security Disability benefits are not payable while you’re in jail or prison. If you’re convicted of a crime and incarcerated for less than a year, the SSA will suspend your benefits. You can start collecting them again once you get out of jail. However, if you are in prison for 12 months or more, the SSA will terminate your eligibility. You’ll have to apply for disability benefits again once you get out of prison.
Contact a Social Security Disability Lawyer Today
To keep your Social Security Disability benefits from being revoked, you should:
- Avoid doing anything that would constitute substantial gainful activity unless you are ready to return to work.
- Participate in all scheduled medical reviews.
- Cooperate with the SSA and provide all requested information.
- Follow the treatment plan your doctor gives you.
- Avoid doing anything that could cause you to be convicted of a crime.
If your Social Security Disability benefits have been terminated unfairly, contact an SSDI lawyer for assistance. Disability Advocates Group is a California law firm dedicated to helping people apply for disabilities and appeal unfair decisions made by the Social Security Administration. If your SSDI benefits have been revoked, contact Disability Advocates Group today.
