This year, like every other year, the Social Security Administration will be swamped with millions of disability claims. Some of these (about 30%) will be approved on their first pass. Others will be approved later, during the appeals process. Those who must go through the appeals process are in for a prolonged fight that lasts at least three to six months. On average, Social Security Disability claims that are approved in the appellate process take 18 months. Often, they take considerably longer than that.
For applicants who have debilitating medical conditions or children who have debilitating medical conditions and need a degree of care that necessitates staying home rather than working, the amount of time spent waiting for an approval by the Social Security Administration can be devastating when it comes to the quality of life and care provided. Nothing is more heartbreaking than having a child with a condition that requires you to stay home for care, and not being able to do so because you’re waiting for the SSA to approve your case.
Fortunately, there are some conditions that the Social Security Administration automatically recognizes as being disabling. These conditions (there are currently 88 of them) qualify applicants for what is called a Compassionate Allowance. Those who qualify for Compassionate Allowances are separated from other claims and pushed through the system quicker, often receiving approval in as little as three weeks.
One such condition is Amegakaryocytic Thrombocytopenia. If your child has been diagnosed with Amegakaryocytic Thrombocytopenia, your claim qualifies for a Compassionate Allowance, and you should be able to start receiving Social Security Disability benefits much quicker than others.
Amegakaryocytic Thrombocytopenia- Condition and Symptoms
Also known as Inherited Bone Marrow Failure Syndrome, IBMFS, and Congenital Amegakaryocytic Thrombocytopenia, Amegakaryocytic Thrombocytopenia is a rare bone marrow disease that causes bone marrow to not produce blood platelets or megakaryocytes. The condition is inherited, and generally shows in young children, usually being diagnosed in the first year of life.
Common symptoms include small purple or red spots under the skin (caused by bleeding), easy bruising or bleeding; and most notably, failure of the blood to clot when the child is bleeding. In about half of all cases of Amegakaryocytic Thrombocytopenia, children also have cardiac (heart) anomalies and/or neurological symptoms. The disease is progressive, and eventually leads to the bone marrow’s failure to produce other necessary blood products. In many cases, this disease leads to the development of leukemia.
The only current treatment which has been shown to cure Amegakaryocytic Thrombocytopenia is stem cell transplant. Even then, only a relatively small percentage of children with Amegakaryocytic Thrombocytopenia are able to find a suitable donor (usually this needs to be a sibling). Platelet treatment can also help deal with some of the symptoms, but is not curative.
Filing for Social Security Disability with Amegakaryocytic Thrombocytopenia
Because Amegakaryocytic Thrombocytopenia qualifies your child for a Compassionate Allowance, you can count on your Social Security Disability claim being accepted quickly if the paperwork is in order and the medical records reflect everything the Social security Administration needs to see to confirm a diagnosis of Amegakaryocytic Thrombocytopenia. Unfortunately, however, this is hardly a given.
For most people, it makes sense to have a qualified Social Security Disability lawyer look over the details of their claim. Social Security Disability attorneys work with the SSA’s system on a daily basis and are thoroughly familiar with the kind of information the Social Security Administration needs in order to place your claim into the Compassionate Allowances program.
As with other Social Security Disability claims, you will want to make sure that all paperwork is thoroughly filled out, leaving nothing blank. You will also want to make sure that complete medical records accompany your claim. These should include detailed records of how the doctor came to their diagnosis and what laboratory tests were used to confirm his diagnosis. The medical paperwork should clearly show lab tests with the results of gene chromosome analysis.
Your Amegakaryocytic Thrombocytopenia Social Security Disability Case
If your case qualifies for Social Security Disability benefits, there really isn’t much to worry about in terms of your case eventually being approved. However, if you’re like most people with a child who has been diagnosed with this condition, you need the claim to be approved sooner rather than later, as you need to give your child the extra care and attention that their disorder demands.
As long as your claim is placed in the Compassionate Allowances program, you’ll start receiving benefits within a month. To make sure that your claim is placed as a Compassionate Allowance, as it should be, have a Social Security Disability attorney review your claim and ensure that all of the paperwork is in order.
To learn more about how a Social Security Compassionate Allowance can help you start collecting Social Security Disability benefits quickly or to have a qualified Social Security Disability attorney or lawyer review your case, simply turn in a request for a free evaluation of your claim today.
