There are other reasons why a person may be denied benefit payments after they've already been receiving benefits for a period of time. If Social Security repeatedly tries to contact the individual given the contact information they have (the address, the phone number, etc.)—by sending out three or four notices or calling them or running a computer search—and still cannot locate the individual, by law, they can terminate benefits.

So it is important to remember that if benefit recipients are moving and their address is changing, they should let Social Security know how to contact them. As a back up plan, any person who's getting Social Security disability benefits can have Social Security send a copy of every letter that they send to the recipient to a designated person, as well. There's a form that can be filled out requesting that duplicate notices be sent to another individual and indicates how long the request should be in effect. If someone has difficulty getting their mail either because their mailbox is not secure or because they are moving around, it's not a bad idea to at least think about whether there's someone they trust who could be copied on all notices from the Social Security Administration. This way there is less chance the individual will be terminated because the Social Security Administration is unable to contact them.

Another reason why an individual receiving SSI benefits will be denied ongoing benefits is if that individual has income over a certain amount. This annual income threshold allowed varies from state to state. Whatever the annual income threshold is, if a person's earnings are in excess of that, they will eventually have their benefits ceased.

One other reason why an SSI recipient could be denied ongoing benefits is if they start to have excess resources. Even though the rules are set up to allow individuals to earn some amount of money, the problem would be if they put it in the bank resulting in assets over a certain amount.

Social Security disability recipients must promptly report any improvement in their condition, if they return to work, and certain other events as long as they are receiving benefits. These responsibilities are explained in the booklet individuals receive when benefits start.