SSA expands Compassionate Allowances list

March 15, 2013

SSA expands Compassionate Allowances list

Article provided by Alan J. Nuta, Attorney at Law
Visit us at http://www.ssbenefitslawyer.com

If you have ever filed for disability benefits, you know that the process is often long and arduous. In order to qualify for benefits in most cases, the Social Security Administration (SSA) requires you to prove that you have a disabling condition that prevents you from working for at least a year (or result in your death). As this can be difficult to prove, many initial applications are denied, requiring the applicant to file and win an appeal.

Even for those who eventually qualify, the application process is frustrating for almost every applicant. However, it is even more so for applicants who have a disabling condition that it is so obvious that it is clear that they would qualify for benefits.

To help this type of applicant, the SSA created a program called "Compassionate Allowances." Under this program, applicants for Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits who have certain serious disabling disorders receive expedited processing. Applicants under the Compassionate Allowances program can receive a decision in as little as two weeks, instead of the months or years that other applicants must wait in many cases.

Qualifying for Compassionate Allowances

The Compassionate Allowances program is open to SSD applicants who have a serious medical condition that is listed on the SSA's Compassionate Allowances list. Most of the disorders on the list are cancers, rare genetic disorders and brain disorders. In some cases, in addition to having a listed disorder, the applicant's disorder must have progressed to an advanced, inoperable or incurable stage.

The SSA regularly confers with scientific and medical experts, staff members in the SSA disability system and the National Institutes of Health to determine the medical impairments that should be included on the Compassionate Allowances list. Periodically, the SSA adds new conditions to the list.

In December 2012, the SSA added 35 new conditions to the list, increasing the number of listed conditions to 200. Some of the new conditions that were added are:
-Adult Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
-Adult onset Huntington Disease
-Alveolar soft part sarcoma
-Child T-Cell lymphoblastic lymphoma
-Endometrial stromal sarcoma
-Fryns Syndrome
-Malignant gastrointestinal stromal tumor
-Sinonasal cancer
-Roberts Syndrome

Consult an attorney

If you are considering filing for SSD benefits, it is wise to consult with an experienced social security disability attorney. An attorney can assist you with the application process, correct any item that may slow down (or preclude) your approval and look for any opportunity to expedite the process.