On Monday, we noted the latest addition to Social Security’s Compassionate Allowances program, which helps disabled Americans get disability benefits much quicker than through the typical process. With the addition of Adult Huntington’s Disease, the program now has 165 medical conditions.
There are other ways that disability applicants can speed through the application process more quickly, and today we take up “TERI” and “QDD” applicants. TERI applicants are those with a terminal illness. Of course, these illnesses are so severe that medical professionals do not expect the applicant to be alive much longer, so a disability benefits process that takes year would not be of much help to a person with a terminal illness. Social Security immediately flags TERI applicants for special processing.
Another program that Social Security uses to speed certain applicants through the disability process is the quick disability determination (“QDD”) method. Unlike TERI or Compassionate Allowances, applicants do not qualify for QDD automatically with a certain medical condition; rather, a Social Security examiner will decide that your case qualifies for QDD treatment and then use a computer model that looks at a number of factors to see whether there is a high probability that you would eventually receive disability benefits. QDD saves time for everyone, as Social Security’s own medical team will not have to examine your case on top of exams by your own doctors. The common conditions that Social Security flags for QDD treatment are end-stage renal disease and certain types of cancer.
Has a medical condition made it impossible for you or a loved one to work? Visit our website to learn about applying for SSDI or SSI benefits with one of our Tulsa SSI attorneys.
