An alleged onset date (AOD) is the date that the claimant believes that they became disabled. Alleged onset dates matter in the context of disability benefits because the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) provides back pay for Social Security Disability Benefits from the date that the individual became totally disabled (after deducting the five-month waiting period for which no benefits are paid).
Benefits under the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program are paid from the date of the disability's onset. Back pay is the amount of payment that a claimant is entitled to receive from the date of the onset of the disability to the date when the disability claim is approved. Varying onset dates can mean a difference in back pay. The alleged onset date (AOD) is the date that a claimant alleges that his or her disability began. AOD also plays a role in determining whether an individual is eligible for receiving disability benefits, as the SSA provides disability benefits only if someone has been (or is expected to be) disabled for 12 months.