ALS Disability and Medicare Waiting Periods Waived

Social Security Administration. Program Operations Manual System policy for ALS claims, reviewed 2026-07-14.

Key findings used in wiki

• The 24-month Medicare waiting period is waived for disabled claimants with ALS.
• Since July 23, 2020, the five-month Disability Insurance Benefits waiting period is also waived for ALS cases.
• ALS cases receive priority processing, but a person still has to apply and receive an individual determination.
• This source does not support promises about approval, payment amount, or an individual's effective date.