Will I lose Medicare when earning $2000/month on SSDI? Confused about work and disability status
I'm currently receiving SSDI and thinking about returning to work part-time. My doctor says it would be good for my mental health, but I'm terrified about losing my benefits. If I start earning around $2000 per month (which is what my old employer offered), I understand I'll eventually lose my SSDI cash benefits after the trial work period and grace period. But what REALLY concerns me is Medicare. Will I lose my Medicare coverage when SSDI stops? I absolutely cannot afford to lose health insurance with my condition. Does anyone know if my "disability status" for Medicare continues even if the cash payments stop? I've tried calling SSA three times but keep getting disconnected after waiting 2+ hours.
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Isaac Wright
You're asking about something called Extended Period of Medicare Coverage. The good news is that even if you lose your SSDI payments due to work, your Medicare can continue for AT LEAST 93 months (that's 7+ years) after your Trial Work Period ends. So you'll have quite a long time with Medicare coverage even after SSDI cash benefits stop. I went back to work 2 years ago and still have my Medicare.
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Yara Campbell
•Oh thank goodness! That's such a relief to hear. Do you know if I have to do anything special to make sure the Medicare continues? Is there some form I need to fill out?
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Maya Diaz
i lost all my benefits when i started working so be careful!!!! SSA doesn't tell u everything and they just cut me off with no warning
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Isaac Wright
•That's not how it's supposed to work. Did you report your work activity to SSA? There's a specific process with the Trial Work Period and Extended Period of Eligibility before benefits end.
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Maya Diaz
•maybe i messed up but nobody told me about trial periods or anything. just saying be super careful and document EVERYTHING
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Tami Morgan
I should clarify a couple things since there's some confusion: 1) You get a 9-month Trial Work Period where you keep full SSDI no matter how much you earn 2) After TWP, you enter a 36-month Extended Period of Eligibility where you get SSDI in months you earn under SGA ($1,550 in 2025) 3) Medicare continues for at least 93 months after your TWP ends 4) After those 93 months, you CAN BUY Medicare coverage if you're still disabled but earning over SGA So your $2,000/month would eventually end your SSDI cash payments (after TWP and any EPE months below SGA), but your Medicare continues much longer!
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Rami Samuels
•THANK YOU for explaining this so clearly! The SSA website is so confusing with all these acronyms and rules. TWP, EPE, SGA... it's like they intentionally make it complicated so people give up trying to work.
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Haley Bennett
My brother went thru this exact situation. Started working part time making about $1800/month. He got to keep his SSDI for 9 months during what they call the trial work period. Then they stopped his cash benefits but his Medicare kept going. He's been working for 3 years now and still has Medicare.
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Yara Campbell
•That's exactly my situation! So glad to hear a real example. Did your brother have to pay more for Medicare once his SSDI stopped? I currently have the premium deducted from my SSDI payment.
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Haley Bennett
•Yeah he gets a bill now instead of having it taken out of his SSDI. The amount didn't change though, just how he pays it.
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Douglas Foster
If you're struggling to get through to SSA about this important question, try Claimyr.com - it helped me get through to an agent in about 20 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU showing how it works. I used it when I had questions about going back to work with SSDI and it was worth it to actually speak to someone who could see my specific record.
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Yara Campbell
•I've never heard of this service before. Does it actually work? The SSA hold times are absolutely brutal lately. I'll check out that video.
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Douglas Foster
•It worked for me! I was skeptical too but after being disconnected three times after hour-long waits, I was desperate. Got through in about 25 minutes and the agent was able to check my specific record and confirm my Medicare would continue.
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Nina Chan
One thing no one mentioned yet - have you looked into the Ticket to Work program? It gives you extra protections when testing your ability to work. You can get employment services and if your work attempt fails due to your disability, it can make it easier to get your benefits restarted quickly.
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Tami Morgan
•Excellent point. Ticket to Work also provides protection from continuing disability reviews while you're participating in the program and making progress toward work goals.
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Rami Samuels
This whole system is DESIGNED to keep disabled people in poverty!!! If you earn too much, you lose benefits. If you save too much, you lose benefits. If you get married, you can lose benefits. It's ridiculous that they punish people for trying to improve their situation!!
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Yara Campbell
•I definitely feel trapped sometimes. I could probably work more than part-time, but I'm afraid of losing everything and then having my condition worsen again. It's so stressful trying to navigate this system.
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Isaac Wright
•The work incentives like TWP and EPE are actually designed to help people test their ability to work without immediately losing benefits. But I agree the rules are unnecessarily complex and poorly explained to beneficiaries.
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Maya Diaz
make sure u keep track of ur TWP months!!! i thought i had used 5 but SSA said i used all 9 and suddenly my checks stopped. now im fighting with them to fix it
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Tami Morgan
•This is really important advice. You should create a work activity report for each month you work. The SSA form is SSA-821, but you can also keep your own records with pay stubs and hours worked. Document everything.
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Yara Campbell
Thank you all so much for the helpful information! I'm feeling much better about trying to return to work knowing my Medicare will continue for years even if my cash benefits stop. I'll definitely check out Ticket to Work and keep careful records of my work activity. I think I'll also use that Claimyr service to speak with an agent to get everything documented in my file before I start working.
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Nina Chan
•Good luck with your work attempt! My cousin has been working part-time for 4 years now after being on SSDI and she's so much happier having that purpose and extra income. Hope it goes well for you too!
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