Medical Insurance for Social Security Disability

What Type of Medical Insurance Coverage Do I Receive with Social Security Disability & SSI Benefits?

You are entitled to Medicare insurance coverage 29 months from the date you are found disabled.

The date that the 29 months begins to run is not the date of your Award, the date of your hearing or the date of the Application.  It is the date that  Social Security or a Social Security Administrative Law Judge uses as the first date that you could not work due to your medical impairments, illnesses or injuries.

For example, let’s say that you filed your Application on January 1, 2012, and you were approved for benefits on October 1, 2012. You will be eligible for Medicare on that October 1, 2012 date, if Social Security determines that you were too sick to work as of 29 months before October 1, 2012, which would be May 1, 2010.

Similarly, if Social Security finds that you were unable to work on the date of your Application, then you have to count 29 months from that Application date before you are eligible for Medicare. Social Security will automatically process your Medicare coverage when you become eligible. The premium for this insurance will be deducted from your benefit check. If you are receiving SSI benefits, you will be automatically eligible for Medical Assistance at no cost to you.