Up until recently, the Social Security Administration (SSA) operated on the principle of treating every Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) claim the same.
This meant the most urgent claims received the same scrutiny within the same period as less urgent disability claims. For example, an SSDI applicant that suffers from terminal lung cancer receives the same treatment from the SSA as an applicant that files a disability claim for carpal tunnel syndrome.
After years of intense public pressure to change the way the SSA handles the most urgent disability claims, the agency finally relented and started a program called compassionate allowance.
To qualify for the immediate financial assistance provided by the compassionate allowance program, you have to receive a diagnosis for one of the more than 200 medical conditions listed by the SSA that makes a claimant eligible for an expedited claim. You also need to know what to include in your compassionate allowance claim to boost your chances of getting the claim approved by the SSA.
Overview of the Compassionate Allowance Program
The SSA tries to process compassionate allowance claims within a few weeks after receiving applications. This means that if you qualify for Social Security disability benefits under the compassionate allowance program, you should start receiving disability benefits within a month of the SSA’s approval.
It is important to note that the expedited SSD claims process requires applicants to submit accurately completed forms, as well as substantial medical evidence that proves the existence of an extremely serious or a life-threatening medical condition.
Here are five examples of an extremely serious or life-threatening medical condition:
- Acute Leukemia
- Breast Cancer - inoperable, unresectable, or with distant metastases
- Gallbladder Cancer
- Leigh’s Disease
- Soft Tissue Sarcoma
Submit Persuasive Supporting Documentation
A compassionate allowance application requires the submission of medical, employment, and financial evidence that the serious medical condition you suffer from requires an expedited application process.
Although Disability Determination Services (DSS), which is the branch of the SSA that reviews disability benefits applications, requests information from your healthcare provider, you should submit the results of diagnostic tests with your compassionate allowance application.
Submitting medical evidence with your application speeds up the DDS review process. You also should submit documents that describe the treatments you have gone through, as well as any medications you take to alleviate the submits of your medical condition.
Employment records demonstrate how much time you have missed work because of your serious or life-threatening disease. DDS wants to see copies of your employer’s payroll files and your bank statements to confirm a dramatic decrease in your income. You should submit copies of your most recent state and federal tax forms as well to prove you have earned less income over the same period as the development of your medical condition.
Get a Free Case Evaluation
If you suffer from an extremely serious or life-threatening medical condition, you need immediate financial assistance to recover the costs of expensive treatments and the loss of income.
Contacting an experienced Social Security lawyer will help you file the most convincing medical, employment, and financial documents that should accompany your compassionate allowance application. Your attorney will also monitor the status of your application to ensure it receives the attention it deserves by the SSA.
Schedule a free case evaluation to determine whether you qualify for the compassionate allowance program.
