Applying for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is often a long and complex process. For people with certain severe medical conditions, the Social Security Administration (SSA) offers a faster path through what’s known as the compassionate allowances program.
This initiative is designed to quickly identify individuals whose conditions clearly meet the SSA’s definition of disability. This doesn’t mean approval is guaranteed. Instead, it means that the application will go through the process faster.
How does the program work?
Compassionate allowances are a way to fast-track disability claims for individuals with certain medical conditions that are especially serious or life-threatening. These include various forms of cancer, advanced neurological diseases and rare disorders that typically meet SSDI standards without the need for extensive documentation or appeals.
Who qualifies under this program?
There are currently more than 280 conditions that qualify under the compassionate allowances list. Some of these include ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), maple syrup urine disease, pancreatic cancer, acute leukemia and early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Even medical needs, such as being on the heart transplant list may qualify an individual through compassionate allowances. The list is updated with new conditions as they’re approved by the SSA.
Once the SSA identifies a qualifying condition on an application, the claim is flagged for expedited processing. The flagging occurs automatically, so it’s critical that anyone who has a condition on this list documents it accurately on the application. Expedited processing means benefits may begin in a matter of weeks rather than months or years. It may behoove applicants to have someone familiar with the process on their side since any missteps or missing information can delay processing, even if a condition on the compassionate allowances list is present.