Presumptive Disability

Presumptive disability VA benefits: Anyone who has applied for any kind of Social Security benefits will be quick to tell you that waiting is part of the process. At almost every step of the process, you can expect some sort of a wait time. This can be problematic for applicants who have a serious and immediate need of help. To assist people in this situation, the SSA created a presumptive disability program.

This programs lets the SSA give temporary benefits to applicants who the SSA presumes will be approved. Presumptive benefits are only available for the first six months of the application process and only through the supplemental security income (SSI) program, not social security disability insurance (SSDI).

To qualify for this program you must meet all the criteria for presumptive disability. Your condition must be so severe that the SSA automatically assumes you are disabled. Here are some conditions that usually qualify for presumptive disability.

• Symptomatic HIV infection or AIDS

• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a.k.a. Lou Gehrig’s disease

• Low birth weight

• Confinement to bed and required use of a wheelchair, walker, or crutches due to a longstanding condition

• Spinal cord injury with inability to walk without walker or similar device

• Stroke, more than three months ago, with difficulty walking or using a hand or arm

• Muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, or muscular atrophy, with difficulty walking, speaking, or using hands or arms

• Severe mental retardation (seven years old or older)

• End-stage renal (kidney) disease (ESRD) requiring chronic dialysis

• Terminal illness, in hospice, with six months or less to live

• Total deafness

• Total blindness

• Down syndrome

• Amputation of two limbs or of one leg at the hip

If you’re applying for SSI benefits and are in need of immediate help, you should consider applying for presumptive disability VA benefits. You can contact your local SSA office for more information or call the Jan Dils Attorneys at Law an Experience Social Security attorney to help you.