The regulations provide that cases are generally processed in the order filed. However, practically speaking, there are many things that can be done to ensure that your case is decided as early as possible. One thing is to ensure that the necessary medical and documentary information is provided to the administration as early as possible. The regulations also have a provision for accelerating the process for dire cases. Under certain circumstances, a case can be given “dire need” status by the Social Security Administration, which generally result in a quicker decision.