The government has created a facility for ‘fast-tracking’ grants for people who are urgently in need of social support. The district office is responsible for processing disability grants and for deciding on the policy on ‘fast-tracking’. These policies might differ from province to province. However, these are some of the standard rules about fast-tracking:

• Both disability grants and care-dependency grants in respect of children, can be ‘fast-tracked’ for a person who is sick with AIDS. However, only if a person is in stage 4 of AIDS will they qualify to have the grant fast-tracked.
  (See: The different stages of HIV)
  If a grant is to be fast-tracked it means it should take no more than five (5) working days to be processed. The procedure for applying to have a grant fast- tracked is as follows:-
• A prescribed medical form is issued AND stamped by the District Office of the provincial social services department. The person must take this form to a state doctor (not their own private doctor) to have it completed. The person either has to take the medical form back to the social services department or the doctor sends it. The grant should then be available within 5 days.

A care-dependency grant will only be paid if a child’s physical condition stops him or her from going to school. The child must be in the full-time care of a caregiver at home.