A recent incident resulted in your disability. To help cover financial obligations and the cost of living in Missouri, you applied for Social Security Disability benefits. Is there a chance the administration can fast-track your application?
The AARP explains the Compassionate Allowances program. Determine whether to expect a rapid response to your application for disability benefits.
The Compassionate Allowances Program
The SSA’s Compassionate Allowances program lists claim conditions that the administration processes in days rather than months like with standard applications. Examples of such conditions include rare genetic disorders, rapid cancers and neurodegenerative and immune system diseases likely to result in a person’s death or keep applicants from working.
Those seeking disability benefits do not have to apply specifically to the program. The administration has special computer software that scans applications for any conditions included in the Compassionate Allowances program. Ultimately, the factor that determines whether the system expedites an application is the applicant’s diagnosis and its overall severity.
Quick Disability Determination
A second system the SSA uses to scan applications is Quick Disability Determination. The system reviews applications for keywords and ensures that they contain all the necessary details.
Not everyone submits an electronic application. Claims examiners review paper applications to see if they qualify for a faster determination.
Program caveats
Even when an applicant qualifies for an expedited response, the applicant must complete a waiting period before receiving benefits. Five months from the date the SSA determines a disability began is the soonest that applicants should expect to receive payments. This waiting period does not apply to Supplemental Security Income payments.
