You may qualify for disability benefits through the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) if you can’t work and earn an income as a result of an injury or medical condition. When submitting an application, you might wonder how long it will take to receive an approval from the SSA.
There’s no universal answer to this question. According to the SSA, it takes an average of three to five months to receive a decision, although it’s not particularly uncommon for the process to take longer.
The following overview will help you understand some of the reasons processing times for disability benefits applications can be fairly lengthy. Perhaps more importantly, it also discusses how you can potentially speed up the process.
Why Does It Take So Long To Make A Decision?
Reasons it may take the SSA several months or longer to make a decision regarding an application for disability benefits include the following:
- The SSA may need an applicant to provide more medical documentation to show they genuinely can’t work and earn an income.
- Individual SSA offices are often backlogged, having to process large numbers of applications.
- Even basic clerical errors or “typos” could result in the SSA needing an applicant to resubmit an application before issuing an approval.
What Are Some of The Fastest Ways To Get Approved?
There are various ways you may be able to speed up the process of receiving an approval from the SSA when you apply for disability benefits. Options to be aware of include the following:
- The Compassionate Allowance Program: Sometimes, an individual has a condition that very clearly meets the SSA’s criteria to qualify for disability benefits. Examples of such conditions include (but aren’t limited to) certain cancers and brain disorders. Additionally, such conditions may be likely to result in death. If an applicant has such a condition, through the Compassionate Allowance program, the SSA may expedite both the processing of their claim and the distribution of funds.
- The TERI Program: The TERI program is similar to the Compassionate Allowance program in that it allows an applicant to receive disability benefits more quickly than they otherwise would if they can show they have a terminal illness that is likely to result in their passing.
- Dire Need: Per the SSA, an applicant may demonstrate a “dire need” for benefits if they lack food, medical care, and/or shelter, and are unable to access these basic needs without assistance.
- 100% P&T: If an applicant is a veteran, they may receive a rating of 100% permanent and total disability from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). An applicant with such a rating will typically be able to have their disability benefits claim expedited.
Get Help With Your Disability Claim
The examples above show there are several means through which you can speed up the process of receiving disability benefits. However, you may need to provide substantial documentation to show you meet the criteria necessary to qualify for one of the above programs.
Helping you gather such documentation is merely one way an attorney could assist you when submitting an application to the SSA. Fill out the Free Case Evaluation to get connected with an independent attorney who subscribes to the website and may be able to help with your case.
