The number of conditions that qualify as “compassionate allowances” to the Social Security Administration is growing. The compassionate allowances program was created so that the most severely disabled could receive their benefits faster. Now, many more conditions have been added to the list, which has grown considerably since its inception.
Effective in August, 52 conditions will be added to the compassionate allowances list, many of them rare diseases, cancers and neurological disorders. People with such conditions and qualify for compassionate allowances need to provide minimal medical information so that the benefit application process if fast-tracked. That way, people who are very ill and desperately need funds for medical expenses and other fees will get what they need.
A commissioner with the SSA notes that it will continue to work with patient organizations and the National Institutes of Health to determine which conditions should be added to the list, which is sure to keep growing. With the addition of the 52 conditions, the list now has 165 entries. They base their decisions on feedback from medical and scientific experts, the disability community and other medical resources.
According to the SSA, in the past year the compassionate allowances program has successfully fast-tracked 61,000 applications for people with severe disabilities. Since the program began, it has processed about 173,000 applications.
There is a list of the conditions that qualify for compassionate allowances on the SSA’s website. Such conditions include early-onset Alzheimer’s, Lou Gehrig’s Disease and liver cancer, among many more.
Source: Lufkin Daily News, “Social Security: Social Security adds 52 new compassionate allowances,” Peggy Buchanan, June 3, 2012
Tags: compassionate allowances, social security disability insurance
