Does Social Security conduct CDRs on disabled people age 55 and over rated improvement not expected?

Answer 1

Yes. Everyone on Social Security Disability (SSDI) receives a diary date upon approval, when the SSA schedules a routine Continuing Disability Review (CDR).

A diary date may be set for 18 months, 3 years, or 7 years, depending on the expectation of improvement. People over age 50 and/or those whose conditions are considered unlikely to improve, typically receive a 7-year diary. These may be conducted later than scheduled if the disability determinations unit in your state has a backlog of CDRs to contend with.

If you do not reach retirement age within seven years of being declared disabled, you will probably only receive a short-form CDR approximately seven years after you are approved for benefits (not the disability date on your award letter). The short forms are scored by computer and are only reviewed by a live examiner if answers about earned income, activity and medical condition fall outside expected ranges.

The Social Security Administration takes age into consideration when deciding whether a person should continue on disability, because older workers are considered less likely to acquire new skills. People approaching retirement age are rarely discontinued, unless they have worked above SGA or show substantial medical improvement.