If you suffer from a disability such as later-stage cancer or a traumatic head injury, you cannot afford to wait for the bureaucracy at the Social Security Administration (SSA) to process your claim for Social Security disability benefits. Is there a way for you to have your claim expedited by the SSA? The answer is yes, as you have several options for getting your disability application reviewed faster than the typical claim filing process.
It can take more than a year for the SSA to issue a decision on your disability benefits claim. Determining whether you qualify for a disability requires a team of medical examiners from the SSA to examine the medical evidence you have submitted. If the SSA adds your name to the Compassionate Allowance List, you can receive disability benefits sooner than by simply filing a claim.
Compassionate Allowances List
If you suffer from a serious illness or have sustained one or more severe injuries, you might qualify for SSD and receive financial assistance much faster than if you submit a Social Security disability claim. The SSA has developed a list of more than 200 conditions that comprise the federal government agency’s Compassionate Allowance List. If you provide enough persuasive evidence that you suffer from one of the medical conditions on the Compassionate Allowances List, then you should receive disability benefits in a few days or weeks instead of waiting more than one year for financial assistance.
Although the SSA is responsible for automatically screening every applicant, you should notify the SSA when you file a claim that your medical condition is part of the Compassionate Allowances List. Submitting medical evidence such as the results of diagnostic tests and descriptions of treatment programs should quicken the review process.
Terminal Illness
If you suffer from a terminal illness and you meet all non-medical standards to qualify for SSD benefits, then you should receive approval for a Social Security disability claim. The SSA manages a program called TERI, which grants the federal government agency the legal power to expedite claims for applicants that suffer from a terminal illness. If you live with a terminal illness, you should submit your medical records, including a signed prognosis statement submitted by your primary care physician. Applicants living with a terminal illness that receive hospice care should notify the SSA about the end-of-life living arrangement.
Dire Need
Since the SSA denies a majority of initial claims, you might have to go through the appeals process. Appeal for reconsideration, which is the first of four steps of the SSA-established appeal process, involves resubmitting your original claim for a second look by a team of medical examiners at the SSA. As with the initial claim, the SSA denies a majority of appeal for reconsideration requests.
This means you move on to the second step of the appeals process, which requires you to attend a hearing held before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ). Although you stand a better chance of an ALJ overturning a denied claim, the process can take a long time to unfold. If you face an immediate threat to your health and/or safety, you should petition the SSA to approve your claim because you are in dire need of financial assistance. Examples of a dire need financial situation include facing the foreclosure of a home or an eviction from an apartment.
Member of the Military
If you suffer from a disability that developed while you were on active military duty, you have the right to have your Social Security disability claim expedited by the SSA. You need to submit records that demonstrate you suffer from a disability that happened while you participated in an active military event. Some of the records you need to submit come from the Veterans Administration (VA), which can hold up your request to have your disability benefits claim moved through the SSA review process at a much faster pace.
Knowing when can you get disability benefits requires you to respond to every request made by the SSA as quickly as possible. Make sure your disability lists in the SSA medical guide called the Blue Book. Submit as much medical evidence as you can and most importantly, receive legal support from a Social Security disability attorney.
Get Help from a Disability Attorney
A disability lawyer provides legal support for applicants that go through the standard claim process, as well as applicants that want their claims expedited by the SSA. Schedule a free case evaluation to learn more about the fastest way to get Social Security disability benefits.
