What does "date last insured" mean in my Social Security Disability Case?

One of the most common questions I am asked by clients is, what does "date last insured" mean?

I often have clients who are not eligible for Social Security Disability Benefits even though they have worked for over 20 years. The Client often says to me that he/she paid into the system for so long why can't he/she get disability. The answer is that your Social Security credits do not last forever.

"Date last insured," only applies to Social Security Disability Benefits (SSD), it does not apply to those who are solely applying for Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

Your date last insured is typically 5 years after the date you last worked, or had wages paid into the Social Security system. If you last worked in 2005, it's unlikely that you have a date last insured beyond  December 31, 2010. However, it is always important to check with Social Security to find out the exact date you were last insured.

When Social Security references a specific date that you were last insured, they are referring to the last point in time that you are considered to qualify to receive Social Security Disability Benefits. If your date last insured is in the past, do not get disheartened just yet, it is possible to still apply for and be awarded SSD benefits. In order to do that, you must establish that you were disabled from working prior to that date last insured.

So, if you went to Social Security today and you were told that your date last insured was December 31, 2009 you could still potentially apply for SSD benefits if you can show that you were disabled prior to that date. However, if Social Security determines that you were not disabled until some point after that date, you will not be eligible for  SSD benefits.

Social Security has published a brochure online that answers many questions about this topic, here is the link. Social Security Work Credits | SSA.tools

This can be a very confusing issue. If your date last insured is an issue in your case, you should definitely seek assistance from an attorney familiar with Social Security Disability.

If you need helping applying for Social Security Disability or SSI, please contact me at joshben99@gmail.com. I have over 25 years experience with Social Security Disability cases.
Location: Michigan, USA

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