How long will it take for me to find out if I qualify for SSI after I have applied?

The average time that it takes to begin receiving SSI approval is three to five months.  However, your claim for disability income payments could take longer, depending on the circumstances of your case.  Some factors that may affect the length of time in which you must wait for benefits include the nature of your disabling medical condition(s), the necessity of undergoing additional medical examinations, and the ability of the Social Security Administration (SSA) to obtain your medical records in a timely manner.  Additionally, there is a five-month mandatory waiting period before you can obtain approval for any disability payments from SSA.  This waiting period is designed to make sure that SSA does not pay out disability benefits to anyone who does not really have a long-term disabling medical condition. 

Therefore, you cannot get SSI benefits until you have been continuously disabled and otherwise eligible for SSI for a period of five months, and you will not receive benefits for any of those five months, even though you were disabled during that time period.  Due to the length of time that it takes to process an application for SSI, and the mandatory five-month waiting period,  you should file your application for SSI as soon as you become disabled.