No medical condition “automatically” qualifies for Social Security Disability benefits. But certain severe diseases can prompt a faster review and approval of your benefits under a special Social Security program.
Is There a Way to Get Social Security Disability Faster?
Nothing about the process of getting Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits is automatic or effortless.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) has high standards for what you must prove to qualify for disability. You’ll need evidence and arguments that there’s no way you can work because of your health issues.
Even severe ailments won’t automatically qualify someone for SSD. But if you have an obviously acute disease, there is a way to speed up Social Security’s decision.
Normally it could take months or longer to get approved. But under Social Security’s Compassionate Allowances program, you can get faster approval when you have an illness that is so clearly debilitating that Social Security acknowledges it doesn’t need as much proof or time to review your claim.
Social Security Disability benefits are supposed to provide a financial lifeline when you can’t work because of health problems.
Benefits aren’t a handout. To be eligible for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), you’ve been working and paying into Social Security for years.
But because proving you qualify is rarely easy, talk to the Dallas disability lawyers at Morgan Weisbrod to help you make your claim as convincing as possible.
And if you may be eligible for a Compassionate Allowance, we’ll let you know right away.
We’ve been helping Texans for more than 50 years. If you have a serious health problem that prevents you from working, we want to help you, too.
Why Automatically Qualifying for SSD Benefits is Difficult
When you apply for Social Security Disability benefits, an examiner is going to go over your claim in fine detail.
You cannot just tell Social Security that your health issues prevent you from working. You need to back up your claim with medical records, statements from loved ones, and evidence of work disruptions.
The SSA wants to see that:
- Your health problems prevent you from continuing in your job
- You cannot switch to another job or field of work
- Your health problems are going to limit your ability to work for more than a year, or your health condition will eventually result in death
So you’re not going to qualify for SSD automatically, and it usually takes months to be approved for disability benefits. It can take even longer if you get denied and have to appeal.
But the more severe and limiting your health problems, and the more medical records you have to back that up, the stronger your case will be.
It’s frustrating to seek Social Security Disability benefits. If your health problems are severe and you need financial relief, get someone experienced to support your claim.
The Texas disability attorneys at Morgan Weisbrod can take a look at your situation and let you know what kind of case for disability benefits you may have.
Get your FREE disability claim consultation.
How Social Security Disability Compassionate Allowances Work
The Compassionate Allowances program is there to quickly identify when you have a disease or medical condition that plainly meets Social Security’s standards for disability.
If you can confirm your diagnosis for one of about 300 conditions on Social Security’s Compassionate Allowances list, SSA may fast-track your application. That could mean approval in days or weeks rather than months or years.
This is the closest you can get to “automatically” qualifying for SSD benefits.
It’s important to know, however, that you must:
- Confirm you have a diagnosis on the Compassionate Allowances list.
- Provide medical documentation of your condition.
- In some cases, provide documentation that your condition has reached a severe enough stage to qualify for benefits.
If you are even a little short of these standards, Social Security may require you to provide more details about your “Residual Functional Capacity,” or RFC, which is a measure of what you can do despite your health problems.
Social Security will ask you and your doctor questions like:
- How long can you sit, stand, or walk for?
- Can you reach for objects?
- How much can you lift?
- Can you handle or use small objects?
- How well can you see or hear?
- Can you remember and understand instructions from supervisors?
- Can you work effectively with your coworkers?
It’s tough to build a case on your own, especially when you don’t have an obvious Compassionate Allowance.
Enlist the help of our disability attorneys for people in Dallas Fort Worth, Arlington, Plano, Garland, Irving, Tyler and across Texas.
We have helped thousands of people when they needed benefits. We’ll assist you from the very first step of this process.
Best of all, you don’t pay an attorney’s fee until you win benefits.
What Diseases Qualify for Compassionate Allowances?
So how do you qualify for a Compassionate Allowance decision?
The 300 qualifying conditions include:
- Many forms of cancer, including adrenal cancer, breast cancer, kidney cancer, and lung cancer
- Early-onset Alzheimer’s disease
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
- Adult-onset Huntington disease
- Being on the heart transplant waiting list
- Malignant multiple sclerosis
- Lewy body dementia
For diseases like those, you only need to confirm you have them and their severe symptoms.
Other times, even if you think that your health problems should be obvious to any observer, getting approved for Social Security Disability isn’t easy.
Don’t try to make your case to the SSA on your own. The Morgan Weisbrod Texas disability lawyers can help you fight for the SSDI benefits that you need to live with dignity and independence.
Our Social Security Disability lawyers have more than 70 years of combined experience. We’re one of the top disability firms in Texas measured by how much we win for our clients.
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