The Social Security Administration offers fast-track processing for people with certain severe disabilities. Applicants who qualify for the Compassionate Allowances Program can receive a decision within weeks rather than waiting months. Social Security maintains a list of diseases that qualify for Compassionate Allowance status. All of the conditions on the list are considered to be very serious and difficult to live with, and many are considered terminal illnesses. The Compassionate Allowance list includes several types of cancers and neurodegenerative disorders, among other kinds of conditions.
Due to the severe nature of many of these conditions, approval of disability claims are often allowed based on medical confirmation of the diagnosis alone. Compassionate Allowance benefits are valued at the same amount as other benefits. The only difference to Compassionate Allowance is the speed at which a claimant can receive the payments.
Earlier this month, Kilolo Kijakazi, Acting Commissioner of Social Security, announced that these 12 new conditions have been added to the Compassionate Allowances list:
- 1p36 Deletion Syndrome,
- Anaplastic Ependymoma,
- Calciphylaxis,
- Cholangiocarcinoma,
- FOXG1 Syndrome,
- Leber Congenital Amaurosis,
- Metastatic Endometrial Adenocarcinoma,
- Paraneoplastic Cerebellar Degeneration,
- Pineoblastoma – Childhood,
- Primary Omental Cancer,
- Sarcomatoid Carcinoma of the Lung – Stages II-IV,
- and Trisomy 9.
Social Security says that “to date, nearly 900,000 people with severe disabilities have been approved through this accelerated, policy-compliant disability process, which now includes a total of 278 conditions.” For more information about this fast-track processing program, including a list of all Compassionate Allowances conditions, visit www.ssa.gov/compassionateallowances.
If you or someone you care about has a condition which may qualify for Compassionate Allowance consideration, we urge you to apply for Social Security disability benefits right away and make sure that your condition is clearly documented by medical tests and a doctor’s’ statement. For help in navigating the complex path to winning Social Security disability benefits, contact the disability lawyers at Cuddigan Law for a free evaluation of your unique situation.
