C. Waiting Period Requirement for Early Medicare Defined
To meet this requirement, you must be permanently disabled for at least 5 full calendar months after the date you meet both the disability and earnings requirement before a period of disability may be awarded. Therefore, the waiting period always starts on the first day of the 6th month following the month you are rated disabled.
A waiting period is not required if a previous period of disability ended within 5 years of the month the current freeze began.
In addition, if you are applying for a period of disability after the disabling condition has ended, the freeze may be awarded only if the application was filed before the earliest of:
- 12 months after the month age 65 is attained, or
- 14 months after the month disability has ended.