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WASHINGTON — Veterans with a Department of Veterans Affairs disability compensation rating of 100 percent Permanent and Total will soon have their applications for Social Security disability benefits processed faster, the Social Security Administration announced Wednesday.
“Social Security will treat these veterans’ applications as high priority and issue expedited decisions, similar to the way the agency currently handles disability claims from Wounded Warriors,” the organization said in a press release.
Plans call for the expedited process to begin mid-March.
“Our veterans have sacrificed so much for our country and it is only right that we ensure they have timely access to the disability benefits they may be eligible for and deserve,” Acting Commissioner of Social Security Carolyn Colvin said in the news release.
Veterans must inform Social Security that they have a 100 percent Permanent and Total disability compensation rating and show proof of their disability rating with their VA Notification Letter in order to receive the expedited service.
Having the rating does not guarantee that a veteran’s application for Social Security benefits will be approved; it only ensures that the processing of their claim will be expedited. And veterans must also meet strict Social Security eligibility requirements to receive a disability allowance, according to Social Security.
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