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Official Transcript: Can I get Social Security Disability Benefits if I go back to work?

Hi, I am Sharon Christie, your nurse attorney for Social Security Disability Benefits. Today I want to talk to you about a closed period of disability. This comes up in some cases and it is an important concept for you to understand. Social Security says you are disabled if you have physical or mental limitations that prevent you from work for at least 12 consecutive months. Now I have had cases, I had one very recently where a client suffered serious injuries. Usually as a result of an accident that required extensive medical treatment over a long period of time. The best example is a serious car accident. Maybe you have multiple broken bones. You might have had a concussion, you have a number of injuries that have to be treated and the treatment takes a long time you may be in physical therapy or all over the above for a long time and your recuperation could take 18 months or 22 months or longer, but at some point you are going to be able to go back to work, can you apply for disability benefits? The answer is absolutely yes you can. In those cases I have actually had the experience that by the time we go to a hearing on the case which is usually for most people anywhere from two to two-and-a-half years after they apply and I have had the experience that by the time we get to the hearing my client is already back at work full time.

In those cases, we were able to ask for a closed period of benefits. What that means is that we are asking for limited benefits or a lump sum payment for the period of time that my client was unable to work because of their injuries. So if this is a situation that you find yourself in. If you have some type of serious accident that has put you out of work for at least 12 months you can still apply for Social Security Disability benefits and you would not qualify for ongoing benefits.

About Sharon Christie Law:

Sharon Christie is the owner and founder of Sharon Christie Law, and is an attorney and former nurse. Her team of professionals and paraprofessionals help people win Social Security Disability Benefits! Our Social Security Disability Law Firm serves clients in MarylandSouthern PennsylvaniaNorthern Virginia, and Washington DC.