If you have a terminal illness, you may be concerned about the long wait for disability benefits that many claimants encounter. The Social Security Administration (SSA) has a program for those with a terminal illness to qualify for disability benefits quickly. This program for terminally ill claimants is known as the TERI program. There is specific protocol for identifying a TERI claim.
What Is the TERI Program?
Disability claims that indicate terminal illness are much more sensitive and must be handled in an expeditious manner. TERI cases can be identified as such by the Teleservice Center (TSC), Disability Determination Services (DDS), or Field Office (FO).
TERI claims have many of the same traits of other disability claims, but they indicate that the claimant has terminal illness. Some disability claims that involve higher probability, but do not always meet the TERI criteria, include Quick Disability Determination (QDD) cases, Compassionate Allowances cases (CAL), Presumptive Disability/Presumptive Blindness (PD/PB) cases, cases with determination of less than sedentary capacity, and cases where the impairment meets or equals the listing level severity.
What Conditions Are Eligible Under the TERI Program?
To qualify for the TERI program, you must indicate that the illness is terminal. A diagnosis of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), which is known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, or a diagnosis of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome or Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), or you must be receiving hospice care either as an inpatient or in-home through counseling or nursing. If your medical records show one of the following descriptors, you must have a medical condition that cannot be reversed and is expected to end in death, or your records must indicate one of the following:
- Chronic dependence on a cardiopulmonary life-sustaining device
- Awaiting a heart, lung, heart/lung, liver, or bone marrow transplant – excludes corneal and kidney transplants
- Chronic pulmonary or heart failure that requires continuous home oxygen and inability to care for personal needs
- Any cancer that is metastatic, defined as stage IV, persistent or recurrent after initial therapy, or inoperable or unresectable.
- Comatose for 30 days or longer.
A diagnosis or allegation of any of the following:
- Cancer of the esophagus;
- Cancer of the liver;
- Cancer of the pancreas;
- Cancer of the gallbladder;
- Mesothelioma;
- Small Cell or Oat Cell lung cancer;
- Cancer of the brain; or
- Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) or Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL)
How To Apply for Disability With a Terminal Illness
To apply for disability benefits with a terminal illness, you will complete the claim form just like any other disabled worker. You will need to indicate that you have a terminal illness and provide supporting documentation and medical evidence. You must have a diagnosis, prognosis, and other supporting documentation.
Get Help from a Disability Attorney
A disability lawyer may be able to help you file your disability claim for a terminal illness. Disability lawyers take claims on a contingency basis, so you pay nothing until your claim is approved. If you have a terminal illness and are ready to apply for disability benefits, complete the Free Case Evaluation Form on this page.
