Social Security announced that it will expedite review for veterans already determined by the VA to be 100% rated disabled. Fully disabled veterans accounted for about 10 percent of all veterans who received disability benefits from the VA in 2012, the last year for which data are available. Under the new policy, applicants who have been deemed 100 percent disabled by the VA are to be put on a “fast track” at virtually every step of the process, estimated by one politician to mean that veterans will be seen by an agency employee for an initial interview within three days of filing a claim and that they’ll receive a determination about their financial eligibility for benefits in a matter of days.
Note however: The change won’t make it any more likely veterans will receive benefits— just that they’ll get a decision more quickly.
For more information: The Baltimore Sun