Social Security sent me a work review letter - Do I need to respond or risk losing benefits?

These work review letters are standard procedure for the SSA to periodically verify your situation hasn't changed. You absolutely should respond to it - ignoring it could lead to payment interruptions. Even though your volunteer work was unpaid, it's good they're checking because any work activity (paid or unpaid) can potentially affect SSDI eligibility depending on skill level and hours. Complete all the forms they sent with accurate details about your volunteer work, emphasizing it was unpaid and limited. If possible, include documentation from the school confirming the hours and nature of what you did. The fact you only did 10 hours total is well below SGA (Substantial Gainful Activity) levels, so you should be fine.

Omg I got the exact same letter last year and PANICKED!!! I was literally like shaking when I opened it. But turned out it was just a routine check. They do this randomly to make sure nobody's secretly working while collecting. Just fill out the forms honestly and you'll be fine.

DONT IGNORE IT!!!!! My cousin ignored one of these and they SUSPENDED his benefits for 3 months until he finally responded with the info they wanted!!! The SSA doesn't play around with these things. They can and will cut you off if you don't respond. And getting benefits reinstated is 100X harder than just filling out their stupid form.

These work review letters from the Wilkes-Barre Data Operations Center are part of SSA's Continuing Disability Review (CDR) process. For SSDI recipients, these reviews happen periodically - typically every 3 years for conditions that might improve, or every 7 years for permanent conditions. Regarding your volunteer work: While true that volunteer work doesn't generate income, SSA does consider your ability to perform tasks as potentially relevant to your disability status. However, 10 hours of volunteer work over a month is unlikely to trigger benefit termination. On the form, there should be a section for "remarks" or "additional information" where you can explain the volunteer situation. If there isn't one, include a separate sheet with your SSN at the top explaining: - The volunteer nature of the activity - The limited hours (10 total) - Any accommodations you required to perform this work - Whether the activity caused pain or difficulties related to your disability Complete honesty is crucial here. The form is legally binding, and providing false information could create serious problems later.

I've had to deal with those annoying SSA work reviews too. Been trying to reach someone at Social Security to understand if my situation would trigger a review, and kept getting disconnected after waiting for hours. Then I found this service called Claimyr that basically gets you through to a live SSA agent without the endless hold times. You can see how it works at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU - totally changed my experience dealing with Social Security phone lines. Once I actually spoke with an agent, they explained exactly what I needed to submit and why, which made everything way less stressful.

ok so im gonna disagree with everyone here a little bit. these letters ARE routine but they ALSO use them to try and catch people and cut benefits. my brother got one last year and he was doing some cash handyman work on the side that he never reported. they somehow found out and reduced his payment by like $450/month!!! they said he exceeded the SGA limit or something. so be SUPER careful what you put on that form.

I had to deal with something similar a few months back. The key is responding quickly and thoroughly. Here's what worked for me: 1. Make copies of EVERYTHING before sending it in 2. Send your response via certified mail so you have proof they received it 3. Call the number on the letter to confirm they received your response (this is where I got stuck in endless phone trees) 4. If you have a MySSA online account, check it regularly for updates For your volunteer work, definitely disclose it but make it very clear it was unpaid and minimal hours. The threshold that matters is Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA), and occasional volunteer work is almost never considered SGA unless it's essentially full-time volunteering.

Just wondering - does the letter say anything about a deadline to respond? Some of these have like a 10-day window and others give you 30 days. Don't miss whatever deadline they gave you!

One more thing that's important - if your medical condition has changed at all since your last review, be prepared for them to possibly request medical records too. These work reviews sometimes trigger medical reviews, especially if it's been close to that 3-year mark since your initial approval or last review. Make sure your doctors are up to date with documenting your ongoing conditions.

Thank you everyone for the helpful advice! I've filled out the form, explained my volunteer work in the remarks section, and I'm mailing it certified tomorrow morning. I'll update this thread after I hear back from SSA. Fingers crossed this is just routine and my benefits continue without any issues.