How to Win a Social Security Disability Claim Faster

Whether you're just thinking of applying for Social Security disability benefits (SSDI and SSI) or you've already applied, you're probably aware that it can take the agency a long time to make a decision on your claim. While wait times can vary significantly by state and even by office, on average it can take anywhere from six months to two years to receive SSDI or SSI benefits. The good news is that there are a few ways you can try to get a decision faster.

Keep in mind that when you apply for disability benefits, you're telling the Social Security Administration (SSA) that you have a medical condition that prevents you from working full-time for at least one year. The more evidence you have to support this assertion, the easier it is for the SSA to find you disabled—and the quicker your claim can get approved. Making sure to provide the agency with all the information it needs goes a long way towards getting your disability claim approved fast.

Expedited Claims Through the Quick Disability Determination Process

Very strong disability claims—those with many supportive medical records or other favorable factors—may be chosen for expedited decisions using Social Security's Quick Disability Determination (QDD) process. If your SSDI or SSI claim is selected for expedited processing under QDD, it may take around 27 days (or as fast as 13 days) for you to receive a decision, compared with the typical processing time of over 100 days.

You can increase the chances that your claim will be selected for the QDD program by submitting all your medical records to Social Security, going back to your alleged onset date of disability. These records should contain supportive and consistent evidence showing that you meet the agency's definition of disability.

Other Expedited Disability Determination Methods

In certain situations, the SSA will select claims for special processing in order for the claimant to get their cash disability benefit as fast as possible. These critical cases typically involve people who are in exceptionally poor health or require urgent help to access basic needs such as food or housing. Having a critical case is one of the fastest ways to get disability benefits.

Terminal Illnesses

Social Security defines a terminal illness as a medical impairment that is expected to result in the death of the claimant. Examples of medical situations, conditions, and diagnoses that the SSA considers to be terminal include:

• receiving inpatient hospice or home hospice care
• dependence on a cardiopulmonary life-sustaining device
• waiting for a heart, lung, liver, or bone marrow transplant
• certain types of cancer, and
• Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS).

While the SSA can flag your claim for faster processing if you have a diagnosis of a terminal illness, you'll still need to provide the agency with medical documentation of your condition in order to get approved for disability quickly.

Compassionate Allowance List

Social Security's Compassionate Allowance program is designed to quickly identify medical conditions that automatically qualify for SSDI or SSI benefits under the agency's disability evaluation handbook (the "Blue Book") based on a small amount of medical information.

Claimants who have sufficient medical records showing that they easily meet all of the Blue Book criteria for a condition on the Compassionate Allowance list will qualify for expedited processing. Someone who has had a biopsy diagnosing sarcoma of the esophagus, for example, could get a decision from Social Security pretty fast, possibly within a month.

Dire Need

Dire need situations exist when the SSA receives information that a claimant is dealing with extreme financial hardship to the point that they're lacking basic necessities. You may qualify for an expedited determination if you:

• don't have food or a way to get food
• don't have money to pay for life-sustaining medical treatments
• your utilities (heat, electricity, water) have been shut off, making your home uninhabitable, or
• you've lost or are about to lose your home or shelter.

If you're in any of these situations, writing a dire need letter could help speed up the process. The letter should explain why your claim should be processed faster than other claims and it should include documentation of the hardship you face. For example, if you're about to be evicted, you should include copies of the eviction notice and also explain why you're not able to get another shelter.

Veteran or Military History

Social Security will designate a case as critical when the applicant has received a 100% permanent and total (100% P&T) disability compensation rating from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The agency may also designate a case as critical when the applicant is a current or former military service member who sustained an illness, injury, or wound, while on active duty status on or after October 1, 2001, that caused a physical or mental impairment. For more information, see our article on disability benefits for wounded warriors.

How to Get Approved for Disability Fast Without Expedited Processing

Not all SSDI or SSI claims are going to qualify for a quick disability determination or other type of expedited processing. But even if you have a "regular" Social Security claim, there are things you can do to keep your claim flowing as fast as possible through the disability determination process.

Fill Out the Initial Application Correctly

The simplest tip on getting approved for disability benefits faster is to fill out the disability application thoroughly. The SSA denies a large number of claims because they don't have enough information for the disability examiner reviewing the file to make a decision. If the agency has to spend time further developing your medical record, it slows down the process.

Strive to answer all questions on the application in detail and don't leave out any necessary information. For example, when asked about your medical treatment, provide a list that includes:

• the name of the clinic or hospital
• the name of the doctor or doctors who've treated you
• the address and telephone number of the clinic or hospital
• a list of all the conditions you've been treated for, and
• the dates of treatment.

Because part of the Social Security disability determination process involves deciding whether you can still do your past work, it's also important to provide details about all of the jobs you've done in the past five years. Include the following information:

• the name of your employer
• the dates of your employment
• the job title that was given to you by your employer, and
• a description of your job responsibilities.

You can find a more in-depth discussion about what to include on your application in our article about how to file a claim for Social Security disability benefits.

Keep Up With Your Case

You should check the status of your claim from time to time. By calling Disability Determination Services (DDS), you can sometimes "spur" the claims examiner to work on your case since, as the saying goes, "the squeaky wheel gets the grease." Checking the status also ensures that your case isn't hung up on waiting for medical records from your doctor. Don't overdue it, however—claims examiners have large caseloads and aren't usually appreciative when they have to field multiple calls from a single claimant looking for an update.

File Your Appeals Before the Deadline

You have the right to appeal if and when the SSA denies your claim. During the first appeal, called "reconsideration," a different claims examiner than the one who made the first denial decision reviews the evidence submitted in the original application along with any new evidence. If you're denied after reconsideration, you can ask for a hearing in front of a disability judge who will take a fresh look at all of the evidence.

Getting denied will slow down your case, but there are ways to expedite what happens next. The SSA gives you 60 days to submit an appeal from the date of the decision. You can speed up the process by submitting an appeal as soon as possible, rather than waiting the entire 60 days, which delays your claim and puts you at risk of missing the deadline. (See our section on Social Security denials and appeals for more information about how to submit an appeal.)

Request a Favorable Decision Before a Hearing

If you've asked for a disability hearing and you have solid records that document your medical conditions and how they limit your ability to perform work activities, you could benefit from requesting an on-the-record (OTR) decision or an attorney advisor opinion.

OTRs are approvals that a disability judge makes before a hearing is held for your case. An OTR request is more likely to be successful if your medical condition has gotten significantly worse since the last time somebody at Social Security reviewed your claim. If you think your medical evidence is strong enough for you to win your claim without a hearing, you can ask for an OTR decision from your local Office of Hearings Operations. If the judge doesn't think there is enough evidence to give you a favorable decision, your claim will still be heard at a hearing.

Attorney advisor opinions are made by Social Security staff attorneys who are allowed to approve certain disability claims before a hearing is held. An attorney advisor may review your claim if you can show that the SSA made a mistake in denying your claim, you have new evidence to support your claim, or there was a change in the law that now supports your claim. The attorney might schedule a conference with you or request additional medical records to get enough information for a favorable decision.

Getting a Congressional Inquiry Into Your Disability Claim

Social Security sometimes expedites a decision if they receive a congressional inquiry. To obtain a congressional inquiry, you must contact your local senator or congressperson, explain your situation, and ask them to contact the SSA regarding your disability claim. Your representatives would then need to contact Social Security and request that they schedule your hearing sooner, which can sometimes—but not always—help to speed up the process.

Presumptive Disability for SSI Applicants

If you're applying for Supplemental Security Income (SSI), you may be able to receive up to six months of payments while waiting for Social Security to make a final decision. In order to get presumptive disability benefits, there must be a high likelihood that your medical conditions will meet the criteria for disability detailed in the Blue Book and you must meet the income limitations of the SSI program.

Examples of some conditions that qualify for presumptive disability include total deafness, total blindness, amputation of two limbs or of one leg at the hip, and confinement to a bed or wheelchair.

Hiring a Lawyer Can Help You Get Approved for Disability Fast

Getting legal help with your SSDI or SSI claim may be the easiest and most effective way to make sure you receive a decision as quickly as possible. Experienced representatives (attorneys or advocates) know their way around Social Security's rules and regulations. Your lawyer can make sure you meet appeals deadlines, handle communications with Social Security, and submit requests to the agency that may expedite your case. Disability lawyers work on contingency—meaning they only get paid if you win—and many offer free consultations, so it doesn't hurt to ask around and find one who you feel comfortable handling your claim.