WHAT IS "ALLEGED ONSET DATE" (AOD)?

Alleged Onset Date (AOD) is the date on which you first claim to have become unable to work because of a medical impairment. This is potentially the date which Social Security will start paying disability benefits. The AOD may be earlier than the date you filed your application. In fact, it may be up to 12 months earlier than the application date.

How do you select the appropriate AOD? By deciding the date on which you could no longer work a full time job based on a severe medical impairment. It may be for example:

* the last day you worked at your last job

* the day of an accident that took you off work

* the date of a significant health event, such as a stroke, heart attack, surgery, etc.

*the date your doctor informed you that you need to stop working

Important things to keep in mind about your alleged onset date:

* You should not have worked at any significant gainful activity AFTER the AOD. Significant gainful activity in 2017 is defined as gross wages or earnings of at least $1,070 per month.

* You must have medical evidence (doctor's records) to show that you had medical conditions that would reasonably render you unable to work as of the alleged onset date you have chosen.

*Receipt of unemployment benefits after the AOD can be problematic. While unemployment benefits are not wages and are not expressly disqualifying under Social Security regulations, some judges see getting unemployment benefits as evidence that you were able to work. This is because most states require you to state that you are able to work, available for work and are looking for work in order to receive unemployment benefits. This, of course, is directly opposite of what you tell Social Security (that you are unable to work and could not work even if you were offered a job).

So, the date you elect as your "alleged onset date" should be analyzed to determine if it will hold water--i.e., is there really evidence that you were unable to work on that date? If not, the date will need to be moved. And it is always better for the claimant or representative to amend the onset date rather than having the issue forced by the hearing judge, which can result in a loss of credibility.