If you’ve recently applied for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits, you will need to go through the Social Security Administration’s Pre-Effectuation Review Contact (PERC) process to support your application for benefits.

This process begins after the SSA approves you for SSI benefits. One of the parts of this process is an interview.

A PERC helps the Social Security Administration (SSA) fully document or update your claim. The SSA conducts these reviews for deferred development claims and specific simultaneous development claims.

Will My Claim Require a Full or Limited PERC?

Limited PERCs update your claim regarding specific issues. The SSA only uses limited PERCs in cases in which potential beneficiaries need to receive payments quickly. These cases include:

• Claims involving terminal illness (TERI)
• People who are blind
• Claimants with specific medical conditions who will receive temporary benefits during the approval process (presumptive disability)
• People with serious medical conditions that are easy to prove (compassionate allowance)
• Older applicants (usually those 55 years and up) whose approvals are likely

Full PERCs deal with all the issues involved in your claim. During the interview, an SSA official will document any changes or other issues that would affect your eligibility. They will ask several questions to ensure that nothing has changed that would affect your eligibility for receiving benefits.

Are There Any Situations in Which I Don’t Need a PERC Interview?

If the SSA only approves you for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), it does not require you to attend a PERC hearing. However, if it approves you for SSI in addition to SSDI, you will need a hearing.

In addition, if you are the person handling the claimant’s estate after they pass away, you might not need a PERC hearing if the SSA decides that they don’t owe the estate beneficiaries any back payments.

What Happens in the PERC Process?

The PERC is the final step before the SSA begins payments. The PERC ensures that you still are financially eligible to receive benefits.

Approximately one month after you receive approval for SSI benefits, the SSA will send you a notice that tells you when and where your PERC interview will take place.

Preparing for Your Interview

Well before your interview, you should gather all the papers that document your financial situation. These documents should include:

• 
  Recent statements from your bank (both savings and checking accounts)
• Mortgage payment record or lease agreement paperwork
• Property deed (if you own your home)
• Car payment records
• Titles to vehicles (including boats)
• Documentation of financial assistance, such as food stamps, that you are receiving from governmental or private sources
• Loan paperwork
• Recent tax returns
• Documents that prove a change in your marital status

If you’re living with someone else – even a relative – but are paying rent, you should also bring that person to the interview to corroborate your rental payment claims. If that person cannot come, have them sign a statement that documents your rental payment or payment for other living expenses.

During Your Interview

The SSA official conducting the interview will ask you about your living arrangements, assets that you own, and changes in your marital status. They will also ask you about any work you’ve done since you have become disabled.

Living arrangements are usually the biggest hang-ups in a PERC interview. If you live with a relative or a friend, you’ll need to show the SSA official that you will use your disability income to pay for rent, food, and other household expenses.

Otherwise, the SSA will count your relatives’ or friends’ income and assets against your benefits. Bringing one of them with you to testify, as well as documentation that proves your claims, will go far toward convincing the SSA to grant your petition.

What the official will not ask is anything about your medical condition or any information about your health. You won’t need to bring any medical records or doctors’ notes with you.

Make Sure You Attend Your Interview

Yes, an SSI interview can be intimidating and scary, especially if your disability makes you feel less confident. However, if you don’t attend the interview, the SSA will delay your benefits. They might even close your case, especially if any of these situations apply:

• You didn’t return the SSA’s calls about your PERC interview.
• You didn’t respond to the form that requested information and evidence (Form SSA-L8009).
• You didn’t sign and return a PERC document.

So, if an emergency arises, be proactive and notify the SSA of the situation to ask for a rescheduled appointment. That way, they will know that you’re serious about your application.

Our SSI law practice can prepare you for your interview so that you will feel confident, knowing that you have all the proof you need for a positive outcome. All you need to do is answer the official’s questions truthfully and briefly. So long as you have the proper paperwork – and we can help you gather what you need – the interview should be a positive experience.

When Will Payments Begin?

Unless you meet any of the following conditions, disability payments will begin sometime after you complete your PERC interview and the SSA has approved you for benefits:

• You can prove that you are not either mentally or physically capable of managing your benefits, but the SSA has not come to a final conclusion about your capability.
• You proved that you are not mentally or physically capable of managing your benefits but do not yet have a representative payee.
• 60 days have passed since an administrative law judge (ALJ) approved your claim.

To give yourself the best chance of succeeding in convincing the SSA to provide you with the payments you need to help with housing, food, and other expenses, get an experienced SSI lawyer in your corner.