How Expedited Social Security Disability Processing Works for Veterans

Which veterans qualify for expedited Social Security disability processing?

Two groups of veterans get expedited handling on Social Security disability claims. The first is Wounded Warriors, a group SSA's manual calls Military Casualty or Wounded Warrior cases. The second is veterans with a VA disability compensation rating of 100 percent Permanent and Total, which SSA's manual abbreviates as VAPT.

For the first group, SSA's field office instructions in POMS DI 11005.003 cover anyone who sustained the impairment while on active duty on or after October 1, 2001. Active duty is defined broadly. It includes full-time duty in the armed services, active duty for training, service academy students, certain National Guard members ordered to federal duty, and reserve members called to active duty.

For the second group, SSA's instructions in POMS DI 11005.012 and POMS DI 23020.055 cover veterans whose VA compensation rating is 100 percent and Permanent and Total. The rating has to carry both parts. In both groups, SSA's manual says these cases are given priority processing through all levels of case development and adjudication.

That last phrase matters more than it first appears. Priority is not limited to the first application. It follows the file into reconsideration and the hearing stage. Our veterans page covers how we handle the Social Security side of these claims.

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How SSA flags a Wounded Warrior disability claim

SSA flags a Wounded Warrior claim from two sources: what you tell SSA when you apply, and data the Department of Defense sends. Telling SSA yourself is the dependable route.

POMS DI 11005.003 explains that the Department of Defense sends SSA weekly information on wounded, ill and injured service members. The same section warns that this information may not be a complete list. For that reason, SSA staff are told to be alert to possible Wounded Warrior claimants during the initial interview, and SSA provides expedited appointment scheduling once a case is identified.

The practical step is simple. When you first contact SSA, say plainly that your illness, injury or wound began while you were on active duty on or after October 1, 2001, and give the date. Do not count on the data match to do it for you. It is a bit like a pharmacy discount card: the discount exists either way, but it only applies to your order if someone scans the card at the register.

The flag can apply after you leave the military. SSA's manual contemplates claimants who file after separation and still treats them as Wounded Warrior cases if they meet the definition.

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What proves a 100% P&T rating for an SSDI or SSI claim

Usually SSA already has the proof, because it receives VA rating information directly. POMS DI 23020.055 states that the claimant has no burden to provide proof of the rating when the data exchange shows it, and that the data exchange with VA is sufficient verification.

When there is no system alert, the burden shifts to you. POMS DI 11005.012 says acceptable proof of a veteran's rating is normally a VA notification letter to the veteran, and it tells SSA staff not to expedite a case without verification or proof of the rating. SSA's 2014 announcement of the program said the same thing in plain terms: veterans should tell SSA about the 100 percent Permanent and Total rating and show their VA notification letter.

SSA's publication on these claims, Publication 05-10565, repeats the instruction to give SSA the VA notification letter that verifies the rating. Keep a copy of that letter with the rest of your claim papers. If your rating changed recently, the letter showing the current 100 percent Permanent and Total status is the one that counts.

The priority covers both programs. POMS DI 11005.012 tells field offices to expedite payment action on favorable decisions for Title II claims, which are Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), and Title XVI claims, which are Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Our page on SSI claims covers the needs-based program.

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Expedited processing does not change the disability standard

Faster handling does not mean easier approval. SSA's 2014 announcement stated that the VA rating only expedites claims processing and “does not guarantee an approval,” and that these veterans must still meet SSA's strict eligibility requirements for a disability allowance.

The standard is the one in 20 CFR 404.1505: an inability to do any substantial gainful activity because of a medically determinable impairment that has lasted or is expected to last at least 12 months, or to result in death. Publication 05-10565 tells veterans that VA and SSA programs, processes and criteria are different, and that a severe impairment must keep you from performing any substantial work.

Expedited processing is the express lane at the grocery store. You reach the register sooner, but the prices are the same. A 100 percent rating is not an SSA finding; it is evidence SSA weighs, and our post on why a VA rating does not decide an SSA claim explains how that works under SSA's regulations.

The speed can still change how the case is worked. POMS DI 23020.055 allows adjudicators to stop developing evidence once a fully favorable allowance can be made. A file that already holds clear treatment records and functional detail is the file that reaches that point soonest, which is why the VA examination reports and treatment notes are worth gathering before the claim reaches the state agency.

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If an expedited SSDI claim is denied, what happens to the priority?

The priority stays with the file. SSA's manual applies priority processing through all levels of case development and adjudication, so a denied claim that moves to reconsideration or to a hearing keeps its flag.

A denial notice explains your right to appeal, and under 20 CFR 404.909 the deadline is 60 days after you receive it. Our page on what to do when a disability claim is denied covers that step. At the hearing level, an administrative law judge (ALJ) decides the claim under the same rules that applied at the start, with the same medical standard and the same need for records that show what you can and cannot do.

We represent veterans on the Social Security side only. We do not handle VA ratings, VA appeals or claims for an increased VA rating. When a veteran's VA rating changes during a Social Security claim, the new decision and the records behind it can go into the Social Security file as evidence.

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