In general— Section 223(a)(1) of the Social Security Act (
42 U.S.C. 423(a)(1)) is amended by adding at the end the following new sentence: “In the case of any application for disability insurance benefits filed by an individual who is determined to be under a disability and who is determined to be terminally ill by a primary care provider (as defined by the individual’s State of residence), medical specialist, or other qualified provider or with respect to whom the Commissioner has determined would otherwise suffer undue hardship by application of a waiting period, this paragraph shall be applied without regard to any waiting period. For the purposes of the preceding sentence, an individual is considered to be terminally ill if the individual has a medical prognosis that the individual's life expectancy is 12 months or less.”.