Daytona Beach/When do you become Medicare eligible when claiming disability?

I have represented many Social Security Disability applicants in the Daytona Beach, Jacksonville, Orlando and the surrounding areas.  A frequent question involves entitlement to Medicare benefits.  If you are entitled to Social Security Disability, then you are entitled to receive Medicare benefits.  However, Medicare benefits are not provided until you have received two (2) years of Disability payments.  In other words, once you start receiving Social Security Disability benefits, you must receive 2 years of benefits before you can receive medical care through Medicare.  For example, you have a Social Security Hearing and a Judge rules that you are entitled to SSD benefits starting November 5, 2008.  Under this scenario you would be Medicare eligible in May of 2011.  However, lets say a Judge determines that your SSD entitlement began November 5, 2007, then your Medicare entitlement would start in May of 2010.  If you have questions regarding your Social Security Disability claim, please feel free to contact Johnson & Gilbert, P.A. for a free consultation at 1-800-556-8890.