With the Social Security Administration (SSA) denying a majority of claims for disability benefits, what happens if you suffer from a severe disability that prevents you from earning a living? Do you have to wait like every other applicant for the SSA to get around to reviewing your claim for financial assistance? The answer is no because the SSA runs a program called compassionate allowance that fast tracks claims for disability benefits in cases in which applicants suffer from debilitating and sometimes life-threatening diseases.
On August 15, 2022, the SSA announced the inclusion of 12 new conditions to the compassionate allowance list of qualifying medical conditions.
What Are Compassionate Allowances?
The claim process to receive disability benefits frequently takes more than one year to complete, and the results typically do not go in the favor of applicants. Compassionate allowances, which represent a list of more than 200 medical conditions, allow Compassionate Allowance applicants struggling with the most severe medical conditions to bypass the standard claim process. Instead of waiting more than one year, and sometimes more than two years, an applicant for disability benefits moves to the front of the review line to receive approval for financial assistance.
A compassionate allowance grants applicants of disability benefits quick approval for living with certain debilitating medical conditions. Many medical conditions listed are considered uncommon medical conditions, but some of the illnesses represent the most common types of medical conditions. More common types of serious diseases that qualify for the compassionate allowance program include Alzheimer’s disease, breast cancer, and kidney cancer.
What 12 Conditions Were Added as a Compassionate Allowance?
On August 15, 2022, the Acting Commissioner of Social Security announced the addition of 12 new compassionate allowances conditions.
- Angioimmunoblastic T-cell Lymphoma
- Blastic Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cell Neoplasm
- Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker Disease
- Microvillus Inclusion Disease-Child
- Mowat-Wilson Syndrome
- Myelodysplastic Syndrome with Excess Blasts
- NUT Carcinoma
- Pfeiffer Syndrome -Types II and III
- Pontocerebellar Hypoplasia
- Posterior Cortical Atrophy
- Renal Amyloidosis-AL Type
- Sarcomatoid Mesothelioma
How Are Claims With a Compassionate Allowance Filed?
The compassionate allowance program offers several benefits that help disabled Americans cope with living with a disability. One of the less publicized benefits regards filing a claim for compassionate allowance eligibility.
All you have to do is file a standard claim for disability benefits and emphasize your claim is for a disability that qualifies you for immediate financial assistance. The SSA has developed a software program that detects the presence of a claim for disability benefits that qualifies for the compassionate allowance program. Every compassionate allowance claim moves to the front of the processing list for immediate consideration.
This means you do not have to complete additional paperwork, nor do you have to spend more time waiting for an answer from the SSA on a claim for disability benefits. Giving faster approval for the compassionate allowances program claims helps the SSA review standard disability claims within a shorter period.
Speak With a SSD Lawyer
Americans that suffer from debilitating disabilities do not have to wait more than a year to hear back from the SSA regarding a claim for disability benefits. The SSA automatically fast-tracks claims that qualify for the compassionate allowance program.
If you live with a severe disability that is listed as one of the more than 200 medical conditions in the compassionate allowance program, you may want help to from a disability attorney who may help ensure you claim is properly filed. To get in touch with an independent, participating attorney who subscribes to the website, fill out the Free Case Evaluation above.
