Expedited Processing for Veterans who have a 100% VA Disability Rating

Many Veterans who are entitled to disability benefits through the Veterans Administration benefit system are also entitled to Social Security Disability benefits or Supplemental Security Income benefits based on their inability to sustain employment.  Because the processing time for those benefits is so long, the Social Security Administration offers an expedited processing for Veterans in certain circumstances.  It is important that Veterans who are seeking Social Security Disability or Supplemental Security Income benefits seek advice from an experienced Social Security Disability attorney on this process.  The typical processing time in a Social Security Disability claim (whether for SSDI or SSI benefits) is anywhere from three months to more than two years.  The typical case takes around two years to process.  This process includes the Social Security Administration adjudicating the claim at the Initial, Reconsideration, and Hearings levels.  Because the process takes so long, there are Social Security Regulations in place that allow for expedited processing in specific circumstances.  Normally, this processing is only granted in the case of dire financial need or for specific, drastic impairments that are expected to result in death.  There is also a regulation, however, that allows veterans who have a 100% disability rating to receive expedited processing.  If you have a 100% disability rating, you or your Social Security disability attorney should provide proof of this to the office where your claim is pending, and that office should grant expedited processing of your claim.  Expedited processing is particularly beneficial at the hearings level, where the wait time for a hearing is anywhere from 9-10 months at the low end, to more than 18 months at the upper end, depending on your hearings office.  Expedited processing can therefore speed up the processing of your claim for Social Security Disability or Supplemental Security Income benefits significantly.