Additions to the Fast-Track Approval Process Keeps Disability Attorneys Busy

Disability attorneys across the United States are gearing up for an additional workload in anticipation of taking on more clients seeking disability benefits. In July of 2011, the Commissioner for the Social Security Administration, Michael Astrue, released an announcement that 12 additional Compassionate Allowances conditions were added to the list. Many conditions that involve severe heart diseases once took months to qualify, are now placed on the expedited disability-processing list.

Typically, a disability attorney will use the list of Compassionate Allowances as a quick way to identify their client's disease/condition to see if their medical issue meets the standards for benefits. The Social Security Administration provides this extensive condition/disease list as a quick source for individuals seeking available disability benefits. Many of these conditions include specific cancers, rare childhood disorders, and adult brain disorders.

Expanded Fast-Track System

Disability attorneys have long had to deal with the slow application process, waiting many months for an approval or denial determination from the SSA. Now, with many more conditions listed on the fast track system, their clients can begin receiving benefits quicker.

Increased Approved Claims

With the Compassionate Allowances list firmly in place, the quick disability determination process is now finalizing and approving cases in less than two weeks. Already approving over 100,000 cases each year, the SSA knows it will be receiving many more applications due to the recent additions to the Compassionate Allowances list. The SSA is now gearing up for an annual addition of 50,000 more cases.

Constantly seeking ways to improve the system, the Social Security Administration held numerous public hearings that involved experts interested in expanding the condition/disease list. Disability attorneys were eager to hear all the ways the SSA is working to improve the disability benefit process.

Because of the SSA changes, disability attorneys can now quickly help their clients. Now that the SSA is willing to agree there are disabilities severe enough to quickly move to a resolution with the application process, many more deserving disabled workers can receive the benefits they need.

An SSA and DoD Collaboration Improves Disability Records File-Sharing

Knowledgeable Social Security lawyers are continually keeping up with improvements, changes and adjustments of benefit programs for the disabled. Recently, the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Social Security Administration (SSA) came together to cut through bureaucratic red tape. Their action simplified the application process to receive disability benefits for veterans, service members and dependents.

The two branches of the federal government had decided to simplify the application and benefits appropriation process. In the initial phase, processing sites that handle Social Security disability cases can now receive medical records directly from the military through a centralized Department of Defense site. This action is designed to significantly shorten the determination time to either approve or deny an application.

Minimizing the Delay

A pilot program was initiated in five states, and dozens of military treatment facilities, to improve the efficiency, accuracy and speed of the disability program. These states (Oregon, Virginia, North Carolina, Colorado and Washington) can now access medical records electronically and have the results within three days. This is a significant improvement over traditional methods that returned information within five weeks.

The collaborative efforts of the DoD and SSA consolidated the medical records requests. All valuable information now comes from a central electronic repository that has complete access to DoD medical records.

Improving Efficiency

The results of this collaborative effort will assist social security disability lawyers in helping their clients quickly move through the application process. Other benefits include a more efficient record keeping, and a lessening of consultative examinations requested by the Social Security Administration.

This initial step in achieving a long-term goal of providing a fully automated solution to distributing medical information will dramatically help disabled veterans and their families. Social Security lawyers will now have quick access to all pertinent information concerning the service member or veteran's disability, to find a quick resolution for their client. This will result in the client receiving all the disability benefits he or she deserves.