What Conditions Automatically Qualify You for Disability Benefits?
Navigating through the complicated Social Security Disability (SSD) process can be challenging and complicated. Your documentation needs to be proper and comprehensive to establish that you fulfill all medical and non-medical requirements to qualify for disability benefits. However, there are some medical conditions that automatically qualify a claimant for disability benefits, provided there is a confirmed diagnosis. There are a few conditions that warrant such expedited approval.
Conditions that automatically qualify for disability benefits
To tell whether you automatically qualify for disability benefits, you must go through the compassionate allowances list. It is a list of 200 medical conditions and if your condition fits in this list, it is likely that you will automatically qualify for benefits and your application process will get expedited.
Some conditions that automatically qualify an individual for disability benefits include-
- Cancers (advanced stages)
- Cardiovascular system disorders (chronic heart failure)
- Neurological disorders (ALS, multiple sclerosis)
- Early onset Alzheimer’s disease
- Musculoskeletal system (spinal disorders)
- Organ transplantation
- Parkinson’s
- Visual disorders
If you apply for disability benefits based on any one of these conditions, you will get an expedited decision within a month from the date of application.
These conditions are as close to automatic qualification for Social Security Disability benefits as possible. However, there are a few conditions that are on the Listing of Impairments (also called the “Blue Book”) maintained by the Social Security Administration (SSA) if their existence can be proved through medical evidence. Some of these conditions are-
- Kidney transplant
- Liver transplant
- Cochlear transplant
- Heart transplant
- Lung transplant
For these five disabilities, the SSA will carry out a case review at the end of the year. In the case of a lung transplant, the SSA will review the case at the end of three years. On the basis of this review, it will be decided if the claimant is disabled according to the SSA guidelines.
Conditions that qualify for disability benefits
Every condition in the Listing of Impairments does not qualify a claimant for disability benefits. Some conditions require the claimant to provide additional evidence to show that the requirements to meet disability benefits are met. Such conditions that qualify for disability benefits include-
- Musculoskeletal Disorders
- Special Senses and Speech
- Respiratory Disorders
- Cardiovascular System Disorders
- Digestive System Disorders
- Genitourinary Disorders
- Hematological Disorders
- Skin Disorders
- Endocrine Disorders
- Congenital Disorders that Affect Multiple Body Systems
- Neurological Disorders
- Mental Disorders
- Cancer
- Immune System Disorders
All these disabilities are found in SSA’s Blue Book in the Adult Listings. Each category contains different conditions to qualify for disability benefits as well as how each condition can qualify.
What does automatically qualifying for disability benefits mean?
When a condition automatically qualifies a claimant for SSD benefits, it means that the disability falls within the list of disabilities under the compassionate allowances program.
The compassionate allowances program permits the SSA to identify disabilities and serious ailments that qualify an individual for Social Security Disability benefits.
Some of the conditions that automatically qualify a claimant for disability benefits are advanced-stage cancers, ALS, and paralysis. As such there are over 200 conditions that automatically qualify an individual for disability benefits.
If your condition automatically qualifies for disability benefits, then it helps the SSA reduce the waiting time to reach their determination about whether you qualify for SSD benefits.
So, once you submit medical documentation and records for a condition that automatically qualifies for disability benefits through compassionate allowances, your application will proceed more expeditiously than the applications for conditions that do not figure on the compassionate allowances list.
This also implies that you will get approved for disability benefits sooner than other applications. In such cases, you could receive Compassionate Allowances benefits from a few weeks to 2 months from the date of application. On the other hand, the timeframe for conditions not automatically qualifying for benefits is around 6-12 months.
How do I automatically qualify for disability benefits?
Merely having a condition that figures on the compassionate allowances list do not mean that you will automatically qualify for benefits without providing any medical documentation.
While reporting your disability to the SSA, you must also file all your medical documentation, doctor’s evaluation, diagnostic results, and other supporting documents which prove that you meet the requirements of the compassionate allowances list.
Therefore, providing supporting medical documentation to prove your diagnosis is the key to automatically qualifying for disability benefits.
Contact The Keener Law Firm to automatically qualify for disability benefits
At The Keener Law Firm, we have a team of dedicated SSD lawyers and experts who want to help the disabled community in every possible way. If you or a loved one suffers from a disability, contact us to find out if you can automatically qualify for disability benefits. Reach out to us today for a free consultation and case review.