What Happens To My Benefits When I Reach Full Retirement Age?

If you receive Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits and are about to reach your full retirement age as established by the Social Security Administration, you likely have questions, and a primary concern is undoubtedly what happens to your benefits once you reach that full retirement age. This is a fairly straightforward issue, and the fact is that once you reach the age of full retirement, your SSD benefits will convert to Social Security retirement payments, which means they will effectively end. Protect your right to the benefits you’ve earned by working closely with an experienced Philadelphia disability benefits attorney from the start.

Social Security Disability Benefits

Social Security Disability benefits are paid to employees who worked in positions in which they were covered by Social Security and who acquired a disability that meets the Social Security Administration’s careful definition of disability, such as epilepsy or cerebral palsy, prior to reaching retirement age. These benefits are generally reserved for those who are unable to work for at least a year, and they are calculated according to the degree of disability involved, which can range from 10 to 100 percent and is measured in increments of 10 percent. Benefits are based on the employee’s earnings at the time they became disabled – up to a specific maximum.

Full Retirement Age

The Social Security Administration calculates an employee’s full retirement age according to the year of their birth, and it breaks down as follows:

• If you were born from 1943 to 1954, you reached full retirement age at 66.
• If you were born from 1956 to 1960, your full retirement age increases gradually until it reaches 67 for those born in 1960.
• For everyone born after 1960, the full retirement age is 67.

Your SSD Benefits

Both SSD benefits and Social Security payments are based on the individual’s earnings record, and the law doesn’t allow both benefits on the same record at the same time. Once you reach your full retirement age, your disability benefits will automatically convert to Social Security retirement benefits, but the amount you receive in retirement benefits won’t be affected. In other words, while reaching your full retirement age will transform your disability benefits into retirement benefits, this won’t change the amount of retirement benefits to which you’re entitled.

Reach Out to an Experienced Philadelphia Disability Benefits Attorney Today

The accomplished Philadelphia disability benefits attorneys at HGSK Injury Lawyers have earned a solid reputation for fierce advocacy on behalf of their clients’ rights – in pursuit of the full range of benefits to which they’re entitled. Receiving the SSD benefits that you’ve earned is important to your ability to support yourself and your family, and if you’re facing a barrier to those benefits, our focused legal team is standing by to help. For more information about what we can do to help you, please don’t wait to contact us online or call 267-350-6600 and schedule a free consultation today.