How to get your social security disability approved fast

Tips to Get Your Social Security Disability Hearing Scheduled Faster

If you have been denied Social Security Disability benefits and decide to proceed to the next stage of the application process—the appeal hearing—it is likely that you have already spent several months pursuing disability benefits. Living with a disabling condition poses certain financial and medical burdens that make it difficult to wait for benefits.

Many factors that slow appeal hearings are out of the claimant’s control. Factors that can delay appeal hearings include the availability of your administrative law judge, lack of funding, or administrative issues. Fortunately, there are steps you can take that may help speed up the process.

Submit a “Dire Need” Letter

The first step to having your appeal hearing held sooner is to submit a “Dire Need” letter to the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) Office of Disability Adjudication and Review (ODAR). A “Dire Need” request gives you the chance to inform the ODAR of circumstances that require your claim to be reviewed sooner. If you make a strong argument, the ODAR can potentially expedite the scheduling of an appeal hearing.

The ODAR will likely consider your request in the following circumstances:

  • You are in danger of foreclosure or eviction
  • You are in danger of losing access to medications or other needed medical treatments or care
  • You are in danger of losing utilities (gas, electricity, water)

Your “Dire Need” letter must include a detailed explanation of your unique circumstances and supporting documentation of your claims. Include copies of correspondence from your landlord, mortgage company, utility service providers, or medical doctors.

Request a Congressional Inquiry

Another means of expediting the scheduling of a disability appeal hearing is to request a congressional inquiry. To facilitate an inquiry, you must contact the office of your local senator or congressperson and request that they intervene with the ODAR on your behalf.

A congressional inquiry requires that your senator or representative contact the ODAR to request that your hearing be scheduled sooner. Such communication from an elected official can sometimes get your hearing moved up a few months, or it may do absolutely nothing. In any event it won’t negatively impact your eligibility for disability benefits.

Submit an “On-the-Record Review” Request

Not all denied disability claims proceed to an appeal hearing. In fact, you may be able to receive a final decision on your claim without a hearing before an administrative law judge (ALJ), if you request an on-the-record (OTR) review.

An on-the-record review is a formal request that an ALJ review your claim before the appeal hearing. During an on-the-record review, the ALJ will make a decision on your eligibility based solely on the documentation in your disability file, without attending a hearing.

The evidence in your file must be very compelling in order for this approach to work. In most cases, medical records must indicate that your condition has gotten significantly worse since your last review with the SSA. Otherwise, you’ll need to wait for the hearing to take place to find out if you’re eligible for SSD.

Submitted by: Molly Clarke

In most cases, it takes 3 to 5 months to receive a decision. However, how long it takes to collect your medical records and any other evidence needed to make a determination will determine the exact timing. Your application will be forwarded to a state organization that conducts disability determinations.

You may be eligible to receive $3,345 each month. Fill out a Free Disability Evaluation today!

Contributing Factors When It Comes To How Long It Takes To Get Disability

What factors impact how long it takes to get a Social Security Disability approval? The first thing that will impact how quickly you get a response to your application for Social Security Disability is whether your initial disability claim is approved or denied.

Initial claims usually take 30 to 90 days to process. If you are one of the lucky people who gets approval on their initial claim, it will take you 90 days or less for Social Security Disability approval. If, however, your claim is not approved then at this point you will have to go through the disability appeal process, and that means it will take longer to get your Social Security Disability benefits.

Another factor that will impact how quickly your SSDI application is approved or denied is what medical records are needed to process your claim, and how long it takes your doctors to send in the records that have been requested. If the doctors are taking too long to get your records in, you may be able to speed the process up by getting copies of the records yourself and sending them in with your application.

How to get your social security disability approved fast
Initial claims can usually take 30 to 90 days to process. 

If enough medical evidence isn't presented in your records, the Social Security Administration may require you meet with one of their doctors for further review. This may result in significant delays, depending on how soon you can get in for an appointment. Remember, when an appointment is made, you need to keep it. If you do not keep your appointment, you will either have to reschedule or you may even be denied disability benefits. 

Be sure to look out for the signs that you will be denied for disability.

The state in which you live also plays a part in how long it takes for your Social Security Disability application process to be completed. Some states have more of a backlog than others. For example, someone who lives in the State of Illinois will wait much longer than someone living in the State of Utah.

Signs You Will Be Approved for Disability

While it may be a challenge to get approved for disability benefits initially, there are some signs that you will be approved for disability.

While nothing is for certain for sure, there are things that you can do before you send in your application, that can give you a better shot of getting approved for disability initially.

The first sign that you will be approved for disability is that you have enough work credits. In order to qualify for SSDI benefits, you need enough work credits to qualify.

How work credits are calculated is by your age and how long you worked. On average, it is usually around 40 work credits to meet the requirements. You can earn up to 4 work credits per year that you’ve worked.

The Second sign that you will be approved for disability benefits is that you have a sufficient of medical evidence. Medical evidence to back up your claim that you can no longer work because of your disability is the key to winning a disability claim. The more evidence you have the better. Be sure to include as much medical evidence as you can in your claim.

The third sign that you will be approved for disability, is that you have a condition that is in the SSA’s Blue Book. The Blue book is the list of conditions that the SSA has put out that qualify for disability.

The SSA will look at your application and see if your symptoms and ailments match one of its listings in the Blue Book, if it does then you could be approved for disability.

The last sign that you will be approved for disability is that you can’t go back and do the job that you could previously do before your disability.

If you can no longer work the job that you used to because of your disability and cannot do any future work, then you will get approved for disability.

Tips For Getting Approved Fast

There are a couple tips that can help decrease the time it takes to hear back from the SSA regarding your disability benefits. Here are some tips that may help with a fast application process:

  • Provide ALL medical evidence: Don't keep the disability examiner waiting for your medical documents and evidence. Instead, send all your medical documents when you submit your application.
  • Add all your doctors to your application: On your application, list the doctors you have seen, their office addresses and the dates you visited them. This can help the SSA in contacting your doctors and establishing your medical care.
  • Collect letter's from your doctors: A letter from your doctor about the condition you are experiencing and the symptoms that are impacting your ability to work. If you can, gather letters from multiple doctors. Submit these with your application.
  • Monitor your claim's progress: Stay on top of your application. The SSA may request additional paperwork or evidence. The longer it takes to get this to them, the longer your claim will take to process.
  • Consider working with an attorney: A lawyer or disability advocate may be familiar with filing disability claims. They will know what evidence is needed to help support your claim and can assist in gathering your supporting documents.

Hope For Those Waiting To Get Disability

There is some good news. If you have a severe disabling condition, your wait may not be as long as you think. The Social Security Administration has been working hard to speed up application times for those who suffer from the most severe disabling conditions.

This “fast track” process allows some Social Security applicants to be awarded an approval in a matter of days, rather than a matter of months or even years.

How to get your social security disability approved fast
If you're expected to be out of work for at least 12 months you should apply for disability benefits.

It has been estimated that this year 100,000 to 125,000 of the people who suffer from the most severe disabilities will be approved for Social Security Disability within ten days of their application.

This “fast track” program is intended to help the Social Security applicants who need help the most, but the “trickle effect” this program causes may end up with reduced backlogs for other Social Security Disability applicants.

Remember, when applying for Social Security Disability, patience is a virtue. Your application will not be approved overnight. Just make sure you do everything you can to speed the process along. Provide any and all required documents quickly and try to expedite matters when you can.

Considering applying for Social Security disability benefits but not sure how much you’ll earn per month? Our Social Security Disability Calculator can help you determine how much you’ll receive from the SSA before you file for disability

Get Help Today

If you are looking to apply for Social Security disability benefits, you may want to seek help from a Social Security attorney.

How to get your social security disability approved fast
Fill out a Free Case Evaluation today

A disability attorney will be able to tell you how long it takes to get disability. If you work with a disability attorney, they can help make sure you have all of your medical information, evidence and other paperwork organized and ready for your disability application.

The more evidence that you have that backs up your claim that you can no longer work because of your disability, the less time it takes for the SSA to make their decision. If you do not have a lot of medical evidence with your disability claim, it will take the SSA longer to process.

If your claim is denied initially, a disability attorney can help the appeals process go by faster than if you did it on your own.  A disability lawyer will be able to let you know everything that you need, so that you can get your disability benefits as soon as possible.

What's the fastest you can get approved for disability?

Generally, it takes about 3 to 5 months to get a decision. However, the exact time depends on how long it takes to get your medical records and any other evidence needed to make a decision. * How does Social Security make the decision? We send your application to a state agency that makes disability decisions.

How can I increase my chances of getting disability?

Tips to Improve Your Chances of Getting Disability Benefits.
File Your Claim as Soon as Possible. ... .
Make an Appeal within 60 Days. ... .
Provide Full Details of Medical Treatment. ... .
Provide Proof of Recent Treatment. ... .
Report your Symptoms Accurately. ... .
Provide Medical Evidence. ... .
Provide Details of your Work History..

How fast can you get Social Security disability?

Generally, if your application for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is approved, you must wait five months before you can receive your first SSDI benefit payment. This means you would receive your first payment in the sixth full month after the date we find that your disability began.

What is the most approved disability?

What Is the Most Approved Disability? Arthritis and other musculoskeletal system disabilities make up the most commonly approved conditions for social security disability benefits. This is because arthritis is so common. In the United States, over 58 million people suffer from arthritis.