Award Letter

Claimants who have been awarded Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) will be notified by mail of the Social Security Administration's decision. The award letter will outline the date you are entitled to receive your benefits, the amount of your SSDI or SSI payment, and when you can expect to receive your first disability check.

The amount of time to receive your award letter can vary. Claimants at the application or reconsideration level may receive their check within 90 days. Claimants approved at the hearing level will first receive a Notice of Decision letter, which notifies them of the judge's approval decision; however, the Notice of Award letter may not be received for another six weeks.

Processing disability benefits can take months for some regional payment centers, which are responsible for processing thousands of disability claims. Many of these centers are understaffed, which contributes to the lengthy processing times for SSDI and SSI award letters.