WHEN CAN A DISABILITY DECISION BE EXPEDITED?

Many people who apply for Social Security disability are in desperate financial straights.  A majority do not have any other source of income.  And it is well known that a decision can take anywhere from about 4 months (if you are lucky) to twenty-four months, or even longer if you have to appeal.  

So, the question arises:  Is there any way to hurry up a decision?

In most cases there is not.  A few extremely special circumstances may qualify for a faster processing time.  These include:

  1. You qualify for a Compassionate Allowance.  There are now over 200 catastrophic, incurable diseases that qualify for a compassionate allowance.  Check the list at https://www.ssa.gov/compassionateallowances 
  2. You have an end-stage condition which is expected to end in death .
  3. You qualify for a dire need.  The rules for dire need are very strict.  An example would be that you have been evicted, are homeless and have no way to provide shelter for you or your family.
  4. You are a disabled veteran and have a 100 percent total, permanent disability rating from the US Veterans Administration.  You still must meet the rules for approval but it may not take as long to process your application.  It doesn't matter whether your condition is connected to your military service as long as you are not able to work and you were in the military when you became disabled.
Hiring an attorney or representative will not expedite your application or hearing, unfortunately, unless you meet one of the above criteria.  While an attorney may provide many valuable services, he or she usually cannot speed up how long it takes Social Security to process applications or appeals.

At the Forsythe Firm, we always look for every opportunity to expedite our clients' cases.  If you meet one of the criteria for an expedited case, we will act to protect your interests and get a settlement as quickly as possible.  Other ethical representatives will do the same.
 

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