CFR > Title 20 - Employees' Benefits > CHAPTER III—SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION > PART 404—FEDERAL OLD-AGE, SURVIVORS AND DISABILITY INSURANCE (1950-) > SUBPART P—Determining Disability and Blindness (§404.1501 to §404.1599) > 404.1592e—How do we determine provisional benefits?

404.1592e—How do we determine provisional benefits?

(a) You may receive up to 6 consecutive months of provisional cash benefits and Medicare during the provisional benefit period, while we determine whether we can reinstate your disability benefit entitlement under § 404.1592c —
(1) We will pay you provisional benefits, and reinstate your Medicare if you are not already entitled to Medicare, beginning with the month you file your request for reinstatement under § 404.1592c(a).
(2) We will pay you a monthly provisional benefit amount equal to the last monthly benefit payable to you during your prior entitlement, increased by any cost of living increases that would have been applicable to the prior benefit amount under § 404.270. The last monthly benefit payable is the amount of the monthly insurance benefit we determined that was actually paid to you for the month before the month in which your entitlement was terminated, after we applied the reduction, deduction and nonpayment provisions in § 404.401 through § 404.480.
(3) If you are entitled to another monthly benefit payable under the provisions of title II of the Act for the same month you can be paid a provisional benefit, we will pay you an amount equal to the higher of the benefits payable.
(4) If you request reinstatement for more than one benefit entitlement, we will pay you an amount equal to the higher of the provisional benefits payable.
(5) If you are eligible for Supplemental Security Income payments, including provisional payments, we will reduce your provisional benefits under § 404.408b if applicable.
(6) We will not reduce your provisional benefit, or the payable benefit to other individuals entitled on an earnings record, under § 404.403, when your provisional benefit causes the total benefits payable on the earnings record to exceed the family maximum.
(b) You cannot receive provisional cash benefits or Medicare a second time under this section when—
(1) You request reinstatement under § 404.1592c(a) ;
(2) You previously received provisional cash benefits or Medicare under this section based upon a prior request for reinstatement filed under § 404.1592c(a); and
(3) Your requests under paragraphs (b)(1) and (b)(2) are for the same previous disability entitlement referred to in § 404.1592c(a)(2).
(4) Examples:

Code of Federal Regulations

Example 1: Mr. K files a request for reinstatement in April 2004. His disability benefit had previously terminated in January 2003. Since Mr. K meets other factors for possible reinstatement (i.e., his prior entitlement was terminated within the last 60 months because he was engaging in substantial gainful activity), we start paying him provisional benefits beginning April 2004 while we determine whether he is disabled and whether his current impairment(s) is the same as or related to the impairment(s) that we used as the basis for the benefit that was terminated in January 2003. In July 2004 we determine that Mr. K cannot be reinstated because he is not disabled under the medical improvement review standard; therefore we stop his provisional benefits. Mr. K does not request review of that determination. In January 2005 Mr. K again requests reinstatement on the entitlement that terminated in January 2003. Since this request meets all the factors for possible reinstatement, and his request is still within 60 months from January 2003, we will make a new determination on whether he is disabled and whether his current impairment(s) is the same as or related to the impairment(s) that we used as the basis for the benefit that was terminated in January 2003. Since the January 2005 request and the April 2004 request both request reinstatement on the same entitlement that terminated in January 2003, and since we already paid Mr. K provisional benefits based upon the April 2004 request, we will not pay additional provisional benefits on the January 2005 request for reinstatement.

Code of Federal Regulations

Code of Federal Regulations 434
Example 2: Assume the same facts as shown in Example 1 of this section, with the addition of these facts. We approve Mr. K's January 2005 request for reinstatement and start his reinstated benefits beginning January 2005. Mr. K subsequently returns to work and his benefits are again terminated due to engaging in substantial gainful activity in January 2012. Mr. K must again stop work and requests reinstatement in January 2015. Since Mr. K meets other factors for possible reinstatement (i.e., his prior entitlement was terminated within the last 60 months because he was engaging in substantial gainful activity) we start paying him provisional benefits beginning January 2015 while we determine whether he is disabled and whether his current impairment(s) is the same as or related to the impairment(s) that we used as the basis for the benefit that was terminated in January 2012.
(c) We will not pay you a provisional benefit for a month when an applicable nonpayment rule applies. Examples of when we will not pay a benefit include, but are not limited to—
(1) If you are a prisoner under § 404.468 ;
(2) If you have been removed/deported under § 404.464; or
(3) If you are an alien outside the United States under § 404.460.
(d) We will not pay you a provisional benefit for any month that is after the earliest of the following months—
(1) The month we send you a notice of our determination on your request for reinstatement;
(2) The month you do substantial gainful activity;
(3) The month before the month you attain full retirement age; or
(4) The fifth month following the month you requested expedited reinstatement.
(e) You are not entitled to provisional benefits if—
(1) Prior to starting your provisional benefits, we determine that you do not meet the requirements for reinstatement under §§ 404.1592c(a); or
(2) We determine that your statements on your request for reinstatement, made under § 404.1592d(d)(2), are false.
(f) Determinations we make regarding your provisional benefits under paragraphs (a) through (e) of this section are final and are not subject to administrative and judicial review under subpart J of part 404.
(g) If you were previously overpaid benefits under title II or title XVI of the Act, we will not recover the overpayment from your provisional benefits unless you give us permission. We can recover Medicare premiums you owe from your provisional benefits.
(h) If we determine you are not entitled to reinstated benefits, provisional benefits we have already paid you under this section that were made prior to the termination month under paragraph (d) of this section will not be subject to recovery as an overpayment unless we determine that you knew, or should have known, you did not meet the requirements for reinstatement in § 404.1592c. If we inadvertently pay you provisional benefits when you are not entitled to them because we have already made a determination described in paragraph (e) of this section, they will be subject to recover as an overpayment under subpart F of part 404.

Code of Federal Regulations

[70 FR 57142, Sept. 30, 2005]