The father of a woman who died of cancer hopes to change the rules of a system that he feels slighted his daughter. The woman, diagnosed with a pervasive lung cancer, was approved for Social Security disability benefits in November 2009 after being denied twice. However, Social Security disability rules impose a mandatory five-month waiting period on approved claimants. The woman died in April of 2010 before receiving any SSD benefits.
The father’s grief is coupled with a desire to abolish the five-month waiting rule used by the Social Security disability benefits program. He is one of many who feel that a terminally ill person’s valuable, final months of life should not be exhausted by fighting bureaucracy.
The nation’s lawmakers are considering current legislation called the Social Security Fairness for the Terminally Ill Act of 2011. A similar bill two years ago never made it to a congressional vote. The bill would do away with Social Security time delays for approved benefits in cases where claimants have life-threatening illnesses.
Social Security Administration officials say the waiting period serves as an insurance to guarantee benefits recipients truly have qualifying, lengthy disabilities. The five-month lag also is designed to eliminate conflict with a claimant’s possible job-related benefits.
Certain SSD claims for illnesses are processed faster than others. Claimants with life-threatening or terminal illnesses receive priority treatment under the Social Security Compassionate Allowances program.
A claim filed through the Compassionate Allowances program shortens the time it takes for an SSD approval to be made. A claimant’s proof of a life-threatening or terminal illness does not speed up the five-month waiting period between approval and the first benefits payment. Hopefully lawmakers will come up with a solution to help those who cannot afford to wait five months before receiving benefits.
Source: Foster’s Daily Democrat, “Father fights delay in disability payments: Terminally ill daughter died before Social Security benefits arrived,” Danielle Curtis, Nov. 6, 2011
