Disability benefits are there to help you through difficult times. It is meant to provide you with income while you can't work due to injury or illness. Unfortunately, benefits are sometimes ended before you're ready to go back to work. Here, you'll find a few things that can cause the termination or decrease of your disability benefits.

1. Improving Medical Condition

When you receive disability benefits, you will be required to undergo medical evaluations from time to time. The doctor then has to report the results of the exams to the disability office. If your medical condition has improved enough for you to get back to work, you could receive a letter shortly after the exam stating that your benefits have been cut or may be reduced.

Sometimes, you will be released to go back to work, but the hours or tasks will be restricted. In that case, the benefits may be reduced to cover the difference between the amount you're earning working part-time and what you would have been paid through the benefits program.

If you don't agree with a doctor's medical assessment, you may need to seek the assistance of a disability attorney to fight the decision that has been made. They may be able to overturn the decision and get you some more time to heal fully.

2. Your Retirement Birthday

Once you reach the age of retirement, your disability benefits could stop. Instead of disability, you'll begin receiving Social Security benefits instead. The amount that you receive will be dependent on the Social Security office's determination of benefits.  

3. Imprisonment

If you find yourself behind bars, you should probably expect your disability benefits to stop while you're incarcerated. If you're convicted of felony charges, the benefits may stop entirely – even when you do get out, but in most cases, that's only if:

  • The crime that you're charged with worsened your injury or illness.
  • Your crime involved killing your spouse, parent or child that qualified you to receive the benefits.

4. Increased Income

You will be allowed to earn a little income without losing your benefits, but if your income increases greatly, you could see the benefits decreased or cut off completely. So, if you receive any sort of assistance from charitable foundations, county assistance, or other organization, it could be counted as income and could cause a reduction in benefits.

Talk with a disability attorney if you feel that your benefits have been reduced or cut off completely. He or she will be able to walk you through what to do next.

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