Can Social Security Disability Benefits Be Awarded Quickly?

How to prove you are disabled
and win disability benefits

While most Social Security disability applicants seem to wait extraordinary lengths of time to be awarded disability benefits, there are some situations in which disability benefits can be awarded more quickly. For example, disability claims that involve terminal conditions are expeditiously processed in order to award benefits as soon as possible. Generally these claims are processed in thirty days or less.

Social Security also has a compassionate allowance program that allows disability applicants with certain conditions to receive expedited processing in order to get disability benefits to them within a shorter time frame than other disability applicants. Social Security recognizes eighty-eight severe conditions as compassionate allowances at this time. Most certainly, more conditions will be added to this list as time goes on.

Lastly, Social Security has the QDD (quick disability determination) process to shorten wait times for disability applicants. QDD uses a predictive model to analyze key elements of an individual’s electronic disability folder to determine if there is high probability that the individual is disabled and if medical records appear to be readily available. Many disability claims marked for the QDD process receive their medical decision in less than thirty days.

If an individual’s disability claim does not involve a terminal condition, compassionate allowance conditions, or is not selected for the QDD process, they may still receive a relatively quick disability decision if they meet or equal the listing criteria of an impairment listing in the disability guide book (the blue book, also known as the social security disability list of impairments).

Overall, processing time really depends upon an individual’s disabling condition, medical history, and availability of current medical records. If Social Security is able to secure medical records and there is no need for consultative examinations, disability claims can be processed fairly quickly. Initial disability claims generally take ninety days or less to process. About thirty-five to forty percent of the disability applicants are awarded disability benefits at the initial disability claim level.

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SSD and SSI are Federal Programs

The title II Social Security Disability and title 16 SSI Disability programs operate under federal guidelines and, therefore, the program requirements--medical and non-medical--apply to all states:

Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming

Recent approval and denial statistics for various states can be viewed here:

Social Security Disability, SSI Approval and Denial Statistics by state

Special Section: Disability Lawyers and unnecessary claim denials