If you are unable to work at your job because of a serious illness, you are likely suffering from not only your medical condition, but you may also find yourself in dire financial straits. Waiting for your Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) to begin can mean a long and frustrating wait. Fortunately, the Social Security Administration (SSA) has put in place 3 special programs that may help speed up your claim process, if you qualify. Read on to learn about these 3 programs, so that you can begin getting your monthly payments faster.

The Compassionate Allowance List

The SSA maintains a list of serious illnesses, called the Compassionate Allowance list. If your illness is on this list and you have a doctor's statement to verify your condition, your wait time for benefits may be reduced considerably. These illnesses include Parkinson's disease, several types of cancer and others. Normally, you must provide a complete set of medical records to prove your condition to the SSA, but inclusion of your condition on the list means less proof is required. If you do have a complete set of records, your approval may be sped up even more. As with all cases, you must still endure the 5 month waiting period before benefits can begin.

The Quick Disability Determination (QDD) Program

Since the SSA maintains a database of medical conditions, successful claims and other pertinent info, some conditions are flagged and approved quicker based on the likelihood of that condition being approved. The QDD program uses an algorithm for scanning applications for certain words and conditions that have shown to ultimately result in an approved claim. If your condition is flagged for approval by the QDD program, your may be able to be approved for benefits without the usual review by a medical consultant.

The Terminal Illnesses Program (TERI)

The vast majority of terminal diseases are flagged for inclusion in the TERI program, which focus on those who require end-of-life care, such as hospice care. The probability of the medical condition leading to death are factors for inclusion on this list. It should be noted that it is not necessary for you to actually mention that your condition is terminal in the application; the SSA automatically identifies those conditions for quick approval. It's also worth noting the SSA will never use the word "terminal" in any communications or paperwork that you might see.

Keep in Mind

Just as with all SSDI cases, you must provide proof of your medical condition to qualify. Make sure that your records are accurate and complete and contain the correct diagnostic codes to help the SSA spot and flag qualifying conditions.

For information about these programs and to help get your SSDI claim approved, contact a Social Security attorney. For more information, visit http://www.johnehornattorney.com or a similar website.