The Social Security Administration claims that if your SSDI application gets the approval, you will have to wait 5 months before you can get your first Disability Insurance benefit payment.
Therefore, you will get your first SSDI payment in the 6th full month after your disability or condition started. When it comes to initial decisions after you apply, Social Security says it could take from 6 to 8 months.
SSDI & average wait times for initial decisions
Currently, the average wait time for an initial Disability decision is about 229 days. As a matter of fact, that is approximately 7 months and a half. Needless to say, it is too much time.
For your information, some medical conditions can avoid these wait times. Expedited processing is available to those who meet the requirements for QDD (Quick Disability Determinations) and CA (Compassionate Allowances).
ALS is one of the several qualifying conditions that will allow applicants to get SSDI benefits much faster. So, wait times are also related to the nature of your disability as you can see. If your disability is fast to prove, you will get a decision faster. Additional medical examinations can delay wait times.
SSDI and wait times for Disability reconsideration
Sometimes you have a disability, but you may not get the approval from the Social Security Administration. This may happen when you are younger, seniors seem to get a higher rate of Disability benefits approval.
Nowadays, the wait time for a Disability reconsideration decision is 225 days. So, if you had to wait for 229 to get an initial decision and 225 to get a reconsideration decision, you could spend 454 days waiting.
What is more, there can even be a hearing decision. Thus, wait times for a hearing decision are much higher. Actually, Social Security claims that if you request a hearing decision wait times are approximately 361 days.