Quickest Way To Get a Hearing For Disability Benefits

The fastest way to have your application for disability benefits with the Social Security Disability Insurance program or the Supplemental Security Income program is to be a member of the military service.  And just so that the rest of us don’t feel left out, any case can receive expedited processing if the applicant and/or their family makes the Social Security aware of dire financial or medical situations where the disabled person is in unusually difficult physical or financial circumstances which could become worse if the claim is not immediately processed to get the needed benefits to the at risk disabled person.

The Wounded Warrior Program

Military service members can receive expedited processing of a disability claim with the Social Security Disability Insurance program and the Supplemental Security Income program.  These programs are not connected with the Department of Veterans Affairs.  When the Social Security administration receives an application for benefits from a member of the military service that application is uniquely identified as a claim for benefits from a military service member and it is thereafter given expedited processing through all of the phases of claim processing.

Military Service Members

Service members should take the following action concerning their claim for disability benefits:

• Let Social Security know immediately if the disabling medical condition happened or arose while on active military duty
• Have available all information detailing the military doctors you saw and the address of the military site where your medical and military records are kept
• Notify Social Security if you are transferred during the time needed to process the claim and notify them of your new address
• Notify Social Security if there are any changes in your doctors, hospitals, or outpatient clinics where you are receiving treatment for the disabling condition

If a member of the military service is approved to receive disability benefits he or she will still have to endure the five month waiting period before the benefits can begin.  Up to twelve months of retroactive benefits may also be available starting from the date that the military member filed his or her application for disability benefits.

Getting Legal Help

If you are a member of the military service, have become disabled and would like to look into the possibility of receiving disability benefits with the Social Security Disability Insurance program or the Supplemental Security Income program then it would be important to contact a disability lawyer to discuss the circumstances of the disability and its adverse effects on the ability to engage in gainful employment.  An attorney can assist with submitting a wounded warrior application for benefits and with collecting the required medical documentation.