Freelander said:
You mentioned 'permanent disability', when my wife went on disability she was told there is no such thing as permanent disability. They may find a cure for what you have. She would receive a letter Social Security every year asking about her work status, and if they found she was able to work her disability could be cut.
I hate to make this my first post here, upon joining the forum but the misinformation in your post is egregious and potentially harmful. I can understand, and have seen it many times how people get the wrong idea about disability, as it is complicated, and often explained poorly, especially when lawyers enter the situation at the wrong timing. People are often desperate at many points in that awful journey and that leads to a lot of erroneous information.
My wife was a disability examiner for sixteen years.
There indeed is "permanent disability". The thing to it is to either have one of the right (wrong) diagnosis from a disability doctor or to know at exactly which point to file. Many do it at the wrong time and then the whole process is maddeningly more difficult. There of course are temporary 2 as well, and that is the greater part of the claims working their way through the system.
Once you are determined to be "permanently disabled" there is a review done, most often at seven year intervals to see if your disability still exists, but only a doctor can end the disability. The letter has not effect, it is in fact a way to supplement your income, while maintaining your full or reduced payments. Once you are deemed to be of "advanced age", which is usually considered to be 55 or older, the 7 year reviews stop and your disability continues until retirement age. Most cases are deemed to be temporary disabilities, and the details change at that point much more to what you have described in your post, but the fact is that it is the disability itself that once confirmed by a disability examiner and supported by a medical disability doctor that determines the applicants outcome, status, and path through the system.
So to sum up' there is a permanent disability status, only a doctor can reverse a disability, the yearly letter is not as you believe it to be, and one can earn extra income while on permanent disability up to the SGA ( substantial gain activity). I hope that clarification may help someone going through this confusing system. Cheers.