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You can speed up the disability process by submitting a complete application, responding quickly to Social Security Administration (SSA) requests, and qualifying for one of SSA’s expedited programs, such as Compassionate Allowances, Terminal Illness designation, or Dire Need, when your situation fits.
When you’re unable to work due to a long-term medical condition, you may apply for disability. Initial disability decisions take about 6 to 7 months on average nationally, though wait times vary significantly by state and how complex your case is.
That wait can be difficult when you’re counting on the income. The good news is that concrete steps can speed up the disability process and get you a decision faster. Pekas Smith’s attorneys practice exclusively in Social Security disability law and have guided thousands of applicants through this process.
| # | Method | What It Does | Who Qualifies |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apply at the Right Time | Filing as soon as you meet medical criteria avoids losing time to the 5-month waiting period | Anyone who has met SSA’s medical criteria for disability |
| 2 | Make Sure Your Application Is Complete | A thorough application with all required documents avoids delays from missing information | All applicants |
| 3 | Submit the Correct Medical Information | Detailed medical evidence matching an SSA listing helps examiners decide faster | Applicants with records supporting a qualifying condition |
| 4 | Answer Requests for Information | Responding promptly to SSA requests, like additional records or a functional capacity questionnaire, prevents added delay | All applicants |
| 5 | File Your Appeals on Time | Filing within the 60-day window keeps your case moving instead of restarting | Applicants who received a denial |
| 6 | Request a Prehearing Case Review | Submitting new evidence or pointing to an error can produce a favorable decision without a hearing | Applicants awaiting a hearing with new evidence or a correctable error |
| 7 | Get a Decision on the Record | Requesting a decision based on your file alone can skip the hearing entirely | Applicants with a strong record who meet a listing |
| 8 | Attorney Advisor Opinion | A preliminary attorney review before a hearing can result in a fully favorable decision | Applicants with new evidence, a law change, or a clerical error |
| 9 | Terminal Illnesses (TERI) | Cases flagged as terminal illness are tracked and prioritized for fast processing | Applicants with an untreatable illness expected to result in death |
| 10 | Compassionate Allowance | Certain severe conditions are automatically fast-tracked once SSA’s system flags them | Applicants with a condition on SSA’s Compassionate Allowances list |
| 11 | Quick Disability Determination (QDD) | A computer model flags likely-approvable cases for priority handling | Applicants whose case is automatically flagged by SSA’s QDD model |
| 12 | Dire Need | Documenting homelessness or a lack of food, medicine, or shelter can get an application flagged for expedited review | Applicants facing dire financial or medical hardship |
| 13 | Veteran (100% P&T) | A VA notification letter for a 100% permanent and total rating waives standard case procedures | Veterans with a 100% P&T VA disability rating |
| 14 | Military Casualty, Wounded Warrior | Cases involving an active-duty injury are prioritized | Service members disabled while on active duty |
| 15 | Presumptive Disability (Supplemental Security Income) | Qualifying applicants can receive up to 6 months of payments while their claim is decided | SSI applicants with a condition on SSA’s presumptive disability list |
| 16 | Congressional Inquiry | Contacting your senator or representative’s office can prompt SSA to check your claim’s status | Applicants experiencing unusually long delays |
How Long Does the Disability Process Typically Take?
Most initial disability decisions take about 6 to 7 months, though the exact wait depends heavily on where you live and how complex your case is. If your initial application is denied, each stage of the appeals process, from reconsideration through a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge, adds its own wait; see what to do after your disability claim is denied for a full breakdown of the appeals timeline. The methods below can shorten either the initial decision or the appeals wait, depending on which fit your situation.
Two Ways to Speed Up Your Disability Claim
There are two distinct ways to speed up the disability process:
- Qualifying for one of SSA’s built-in expedited programs
- Taking steps yourself to keep a standard application moving without unnecessary delay
Expedited programs, such as Compassionate Allowances, Terminal Illness designation, Dire Need, and veteran or wounded warrior status, fast-track a claim automatically once SSA identifies that you meet the criteria. Self-directed steps work differently. Submitting a complete application, responding promptly to requests, and appealing on time are open to every applicant, regardless of medical condition. Both categories are covered below.
Steps to Speed Up the Disability Process
Here are the specific steps you can take, organized in the order most applicants encounter them, from application through appeal.
1. Apply at the Right Time
Generally, you should apply for disability as soon as you’re disabled, since claims can take several months to process on top of the five-month waiting period. You must have a disability expected to last at least 12 months or result in death, along with medical documentation to prove your impairment, before that application has a real chance at approval.
2. Make Sure Your Application Is Complete
A Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) application needs to be thorough. You’ll need:
- Birth certificate
- Proof of citizenship or legal status
- Employment information
- Medical records
Form SSA-3368-BK (Disability Report, Adult) details your medical conditions and work activity. Missing information can delay or even deny your claim.
3. Submit the Correct Medical Information
Whether you meet SSA’s criteria for disability is the biggest factor in any SSDI application. You may qualify by meeting or equaling a listing in the Social Security Listing of Impairments, or by showing that your residual functional capacity prohibits employment. The listings detail the medical information claims examiners need to approve an application, so gathering strong medical evidence can help them decide in your favor faster.
4. Answer Requests for Information
When reviewing an application, examiners sometimes need more from you, such as updated medical records, a functional capacity questionnaire, or a consultative exam referral. Answering these requests promptly can speed up the disability process, so check your application status regularly and keep your contact information up to date.
5. File Your Appeals on Time
If you need to appeal your initial determination, you have 60 days to do it, and filing on time keeps the process moving instead of forcing you to start over. Know exactly what you’re appealing, whether it’s your eligibility, the disability determination, or the payment amount, and make sure your appeal addresses that issue directly. Knowing the signs your claim may be denied beforehand can help you prepare a stronger appeal within that 60-day window.
6. Request a Prehearing Case Review
You may be able to speed up the disability process by asking for a favorable decision without a hearing. A prehearing case review lets you submit additional evidence, correct an error, or point to a law or regulation change, and a favorable outcome means a summary decision in your favor. If the review doesn’t succeed, your case simply continues to a hearing.
This is one of three distinct paths, alongside a decision on the record and an attorney advisor opinion, to avoiding or shortening a hearing; which one applies depends on your specific situation.
7. Get a Decision on the Record
A decision on the record resolves your case without a hearing. It’s based on your application record, though you can submit a supporting brief. Requesting a decision on the record, along with a discussion of how you meet a listing, means you may never have to wait for a hearing, testify, or prepare evidence, since an approval on the record ends the case there.
8. Attorney Advisor Opinion
An attorney advisor may conduct prehearing proceedings on your disability application, typically when there’s a law or regulation change, new evidence, or a clerical error to sort out. During these prehearing proceedings, the attorney can issue a fully favorable decision on the spot, and doing so won’t delay your hearing date.
If it works out in your favor, it’s a meaningful head start on the disability process. Pekas Smith’s attorneys are members of the National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives (NOSSCR), a professional group focused specifically on this area of law.
9. Terminal Illnesses
A terminal illness is untreatable and expected to end in death, and cases involving one get a Terminal Illness (TERI) designation that expedites review. SSA tracks TERI cases and reviews them periodically to keep processing fast. To speed up your application, reference one of SSA’s recognized descriptors for flagging terminal illness cases.
10. Compassionate Allowance
If your disability meets the criteria for Compassionate Allowance, your case can move much faster. Certain cancers, brain disorders, and rare medical conditions may qualify for Compassionate Allowance, and knowing which ones do before you apply can shorten your wait for benefits.
11. Quick Disability Determination (QDD)
When an applicant is likely qualified and medical evidence is readily available, the case may move to Quick Disability Determination (QDD), a computer model that flags cases likely to be approved based on certain keywords and medical conditions. SSA’s own research shows QDD cases have a median processing time of 13 to 14 days, compared to more than 3 months for standard reviews, so a flagged case can move through the system significantly faster.
12. Dire Need
Dire need means you lack food, medicine, or shelter and can’t fix it on your own. If you meet the standard for dire need, such as homelessness, fleeing domestic violence, or aging out of foster care as a young adult, documenting it can get your application flagged for expedited review.
13. Veteran
If you’re a veteran with a 100% permanent and total (P&T) disability rating from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), critical case procedures don’t apply, and your claim receives expedited processing. Submitting a VA notification letter verifying your 100% P&T rating triggers this speed-up.
14. Military Casualty, Wounded Warrior
You may also receive expedited processing if you are a wounded warrior with a physical or mental impairment sustained while on active duty status. Wounded warrior cases are prioritized.
Keep your address up to date and submit your DD Form 214 to verify your military service.
15. Presumptive Disability for SSI Applicants
SSI applicants who are highly likely to qualify for benefits may receive presumptive payments while their application is pending. These presumptive disability payments can continue for up to 6 months while SSA finishes its review, and you don’t have to repay them even if your claim is ultimately denied.
Conditions that commonly qualify include stroke-related paralysis, cerebral palsy, and HIV that meets SSA’s listing requirements. Qualifying by presumptive disability can mean faster approval, and knowing the differences between SSI and SSDI helps you tell whether this option applies to your claim.
16. Congressional Inquiry
Contacting your U.S. senator or representative’s office can prompt the SSA to check the status of your claim or flag it for expedited scheduling. A caseworker at their office can formally inquire with the SSA on your behalf, which sometimes moves a stalled case forward.
If you’re waiting for a hearing, you can also file Form HA-510 to waive the standard 75-day advance written notice of your hearing date, which can result in the hearing being scheduled sooner. Waiving the notice comes with a tradeoff: you must submit any new evidence at least 5 business days before the hearing.
Contact Our Experienced Disability Attorneys Today
There’s no way to guarantee how fast your case moves, but having someone who knows the system handle the parts you can’t easily control makes a real difference. Pekas Smith: Arizona Disability Attorneys help people get and keep their disability benefits.
Pekas Smith was co-founded by Jeremy D. Pekas, who earned his J.D. magna cum laude from Florida Coastal School of Law, and Tye Smith, who earned his J.D. from the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University. Together, they lead a team focused exclusively on Social Security Disability law, and Pekas Smith has secured millions of dollars in disability benefits for clients across Arizona.
Contact us online or call 602.962.2818 to schedule a free consultation and take the first step toward speeding up your disability claim.
Frequently Asked Questions About Speeding Up The Disability Process
Can a lawyer guarantee a faster decision on my claim?
No. No attorney can guarantee a faster decision, but experienced representation often means a more complete, accurate file with fewer errors and stalls along the way, which is the actual mechanism behind most speed gains.
Do I need to apply for Compassionate Allowances separately?
No. The SSA’s system automatically identifies applications with a Compassionate Allowances-qualifying condition once you apply; you don’t need to file a separate request.
Can I qualify for more than one expedited program at once?
Yes. For example, a veteran with a Compassionate Allowances-qualifying condition could have their claim expedited under both programs, and the SSA doesn’t require you to choose only one.
Do I need a lawyer to use one of these expedited programs?
No, these are SSA programs open to any applicant, but a lawyer can help ensure your application clearly documents the criteria so your case is flagged the first time correctly.
