New York residents who have any of a number of specified conditions and who qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance may qualify for expedited processing of their application. Here is what you need to know about fast-tracking an SSD application.

Compassionate Allowances Conditions

The Social Security Administration maintains a list of what are called Compassionate Allowances Conditions that qualify individuals with any of 254 conditions to apply for rapid processing of applications for disability. Processing Social Security disability applications normally takes up to several months, but under the CAL, that time frame is cut to a handful of days.

The conditions are determined on the basis of two factors: either they prevent the sufferer from working, or they pose a potentially deadly threat. This list includes but is by no means limited to various forms of cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative conditions, debilitating autoimmune conditions, and blood disorders. If you have any of the qualifying conditions and have a doctor’s diagnosis to confirm it, then you are eligible for the program.

You can re-apply for SSD after an initial rejection if your condition has worsened

You may be able to re-apply for SSD and get the expedited status if your condition has worsened. This may also be possible if you’ve been diagnosed with a new condition on the CAL list.

If you’ve been diagnosed with one of several listed conditions, then you will likely qualify for expedited handling of your SSD application so that you can receive your benefits faster. Don’t give up hope and don’t take “no” for an answer if you are one of the millions of Americans who suffer from these debilitating illnesses.