Expedited reinstatement of benefits can be requested if your Social Security Disability benefits ended because you worked and received earnings. If your disability benefits ended due to gainful employment, you can request that your benefits be reinstated without having to apply for benefits all over again if you find that your disability prevented you from continuing your work activity. The reinstatement of benefits without the need for a new application is referred to as expedited reinstatement of benefits. During the time that the SSA is determining whether or not you will receive benefits again under expedited reinstatement, they will provide you with temporary benefits for a period of up to six months.
In order to be eligible for the expedited reinstatement of your benefits, you must have stopped receiving benefits due to earnings from work, must not be able to work or perform substantial gainful activity, and must be disabled due to an impairment that is the same as the impairment that allowed you to get benefits in the first place. You must also make the request for reinstatement of your benefits within five years from the month that your original benefits ended.
The provisional payments that are paid when you request an expedited reinstatement of benefits will last for six months, allowing you to receive benefits while the SSA determines whether or not you are eligible for expedited reinstatement of benefits. These benefits will include cash payments in addition to Medicare and/or Medicaid coverage. If the SSA denies your request for expedited reinstatement of benefits, the provisional payments that you received usually do not have to be paid back.
While these provisional payments can last for up to six months, they will end sooner if you are notified that you are not eligible for expedited reinstatement before the six-month period ends, begin to engage in substantial gainful activity or reach full retirement age.