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Home :: FAQ :: Social Security Disability Hearing

How Can One Expedite a Hearing on a Social Security Disability/SSA Claim?

A “Dire Need” situation exists when a person has insufficient income or resources to meet an immediate threat to health or safety, such as lack of food, clothing, shelter or medical care.  The claim must allege specific immediate circumstances.

Expeditious hearing requests are routinely denied unless a claimant meets at least one of four circumstances:

The first is whether the claimant is 55 years of age or older.  This is because at 55, claimants fall into a less restrictive disability category.  As a consequence, the claim is more easily decided by a Social Security Administration judge.  We automatically file expeditious requests once all of our clients reach the age of 55.

The second category for expeditious handling is when the claimant is at a critical risk for death if emergency life saving surgery is not performed immediately.   This must be put in writing by the claimant’s physician and given to us so that we can request an expeditious hearing on the claim. Terminal illness or (TERI) cases or “Compassionate Allowance” cases must clearly set forth the emergency medical situation involved.

The third area ripe for expeditious handling is when a claimant is in receipt of a Notice of Eviction, foreclosure or acceleration of mortgage payments. This takes an official legally driven notice, not just some handwritten piece of paper from your relative/landlord that you cannot stay there anymore.

The fourth area is a Military Service Casualty Case (active military service, occurring after October 1, 2001 in US or abroad.

The fifth is when there is an indication that the claimant is suicidal or homicidal.

Unfortunately, with the extreme backlog of cases pending with the Social Security Administration, these bases are just of historical note and are now seldom, if ever granted.  We do file them with the Social Security Administration and make the request if and when our clients send such notice to us.

Unfortunately, there are no further bases under which to ask for an expedited hearing.  We do not recommend that our clients contact their U.S. Senator or Congressman with their request unless they are a disabled American Veteran who has already received a VA in-the-line-of-duty disability award. 

Remember that a request for an expedited hearing may only move your hearing up a few months.  It is only in extremely rare cases that the request to expedite is granted and the hearing takes place within 90 days.