The answer is that it depends on when your Onset Date of Disability was determined to be with Medicare typically beginning 29 months after that date. The breakdown of this time period includes a 5 month waiting period between your Onset Date and the start of your SSDI payments and then another 24 months of receiving those payments before reaching your Medicare effective date.

An example of this waiting period can be found in our FAQ Section.

If you happen to have ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) or ESRD (End Stage Renal Disease), your Medicare actually begins quite a bit sooner. There is still the 5 month waiting period until your SSDI payments begin, but at that point your Medicare Coverage also begins.

In a case where your Onset Date was determined to be more than 29 months before your Notice of Award (NOA), then your Medicare will begin shortly after you receive the NOA. Usually within approximately 30 days you will receive a packet of information from Medicare which includes your Medicare Card and your effective date of coverage.