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.