Social Security backpay confusion - SSDI vs LTD offset amount is $32,000 less than expected

same thing happened to me!! SSA paid my LTD company directly out of my backpay and i didnt know until i called and asked where my $$ was. they dont tell you anything!! my LTD got reimbursed only for the amount that matched my SSDI (not the full LTD payment). you need to call SSA like RIGHT NOW and ask for an accounting of where all the money went. bring coffee cuz youll be on hold FOR HOURS!!!

The discrepancy you're seeing is likely due to the LTD offset. When someone receives both SSDI and private LTD benefits, most LTD policies include an offset provision that allows the insurance company to recover the SSDI backpay that overlaps with what they paid you. This is standard industry practice. Typically, the LTD carrier is entitled to recover only the amount that matches the SSDI benefit, not the entire LTD payment amount. In your case, that would be approximately $3,200 × 33 months. Here are a few other factors that might explain the rest of the discrepancy: 1. The attorney fee (usually 25% of backpay up to $7,000) 2. The 5-month waiting period for SSDI (no benefits are paid for the first 5 months) 3. Any Medicare premiums that were deducted 4. Possible workers' compensation offset You absolutely need to request a detailed benefit calculation and payment explanation from SSA. This should show exactly how they calculated the backpay and what deductions were made.

i think ur lawyer screwed u over tbh. they always take more than they say and SSA just lets them. my cousin had similar issue and turned out lawyer took way more than the cap!! u should check that first seriously

Check the mail REALLY carefully. My award letter came in a totally normal-looking envelope that I almost threw away. They don't mark them as important or anything. My letter had a detailed breakdown of all calculations and deductions. If you still can't find it, request a new copy asap.

You need to contact your local Social Security office and request an itemized breakdown of your wife's backpay calculation. There's definitely an explanation for the discrepancy, but without seeing the official calculation, it's hard to know exactly what happened. Most commonly in these situations: 1. SSA withheld a portion to pay the LTD carrier directly (most common) 2. They calculated fewer months of backpay than you expected 3. They applied other offsets or deductions 4. There was an overpayment on another benefit I've seen cases where people struggled for months to get answers by phone. If you're having trouble getting through to SSA on the phone, I'd recommend using Claimyr (claimyr.com). They have a service that helps you skip the long hold times when calling Social Security. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Once you get through, specifically ask for the "backpay calculation worksheet" and an explanation of any third-party payments made from the backpay amount. You're entitled to this information.

oh also!! check with the LTD company too!!! sometimes they get paid directly by SSA and they should have records of it. my LTD company actually sent me a letter eventually (like 2 months after they got paid lol) showing exactly what they received from social security.

I went through almost exactly the same situation last year with my husband's SSDI/LTD situation. In our case, Social Security paid the LTD insurance company directly for the offset amount. The attorney was also paid directly. Both of those payments came out of the backpay before we received anything. Try calling your local office instead of the national number. I spent 2 weeks trying the main number before I found a direct number to our local office. If you can't get through by phone, I ended up using Claimyr (claimyr.com) after someone here recommended it. They got me connected to a real person at SSA in about 20 minutes after I had spent weeks getting disconnected. There's a video on their site showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. Once I finally got through, the SSA rep explained that our award letter was delayed due to a processing backlog, but they emailed me a benefit verification letter that same day that showed all the payment details. Hope this helps!

This happened to my sister too! The award letter eventually came and showed that SSA had paid the LTD company directly for the offset (only the SSDI portion, not the full LTD amount). Don't forget that SSDI also has that stupid 5-month waiting period where you don't get any benefits at the beginning of your disability period.

UPDATE??? did u ever get this figured out? I'm curious what happened with all the money!