The Social Security Administration (SSA) denies a majority of claims for disability benefits. However, if you live with a terminal illness, you might automatically qualify for financial assistance under a program called Compassionate Allowance. Under the Compassionate Allowance program, the SSA fast-tracks disability claims for a limited number of medical conditions, such as Stage IV cancers. To become eligible for the Compassionate Allowance program, an applicant must submit overwhelming evidence of living with a life-ending disease where there does not appear to be a cure.
How to Qualify Automatically for Social Security Disability Benefits
If you submit persuasive medical evidence that you live with an end of life disease, the SSA might fast-track your application for approval of Social Security disability benefits. The federal agency’s Compassionate Allowance program gives applicants a way to receive financial assistance, without having to wait months for an answer to the status of a claim.
As with every other type of medical diagnosis, you must submit medical evidence that proves you live with a terminal illness. Submitting the results of diagnostic tests is an influential factor in determining whether you qualify for fast-track approval for financial assistance under the SSA-managed Compassionate Allowance program. For applicants living with a terminal illness, a document signed by a certified physician that describes the prognosis for making a recovery from a disease is an essential part of the evidence required to become eligible for the Compassionate Allowance program.
Working with a Social Security disability attorney can improve the strength of your case for financial assistance.
How Does a Terminal Illness Automatically Qualify for Disability Benefits?
Because approving disability benefits is based primarily on the ability to work, not every application submitted by someone living with a terminal illness is approved by the SSA. Some applicants living with a terminal illness have received a diagnosis that states they have several years of living a productive life ahead of them. However, a vast majority of applicants living with a terminal illness are eligible for an expedited claim process by referring to the TERI program run by the SSA.
To become TERI eligible, your doctor must submit a statement that not only verifies you live with a terminal illness, but also that the illness makes it difficult, if not possible for you to work. If you currently live or are expected to live at a hospice, you should automatically qualify for disability benefits under the TERI program. Although the SSA does not refer to a list of medical conditions for TERI eligibility, the federal agency does refer to a list of medical conditions that are fast-tracked approved according to the Compassionate Allowance program.
The SSA lists more than 200 medical conditions that allow disability applicants to receive financial assistance, without having to wait months to receive approval. Although living with a terminal illness does not make the list for Compassionate Allowance approval, virtually every medical condition listed by the SSA can develop into a life-ending illness. If you submit the proper paperwork to the SSA, you should receive financial assistance for a terminal illness as defined by the Compassionate Allowance program.
Get Help with Your Claim
Hiring a Social Security disability attorney improves your chances of getting a claim approved by the SSA. This is especially true for applicants that live with a terminal illness. Schedule a free case evaluation to get your disability claim for a terminal illness fast-tracked approved under the Compassionate Allowance program.
