SOCIAL SECURITY (SSI) COMPASSIONATE ALLOWANCE

Michael Astrue, commissioner of Social Security, recently announced that the agency is adding more conditions to its list of compassionate allowances.

Compassionate allowances are a way of quickly identifying diseases and other medical conditions that clearly qualify for Social Security Income disability benefits.  It allows the agency to electronically target and make speedy decisions for the most obviously disabled individuals in a process that previously could have taken much longer to get approval.

This expansion brings the list to a total of almost 200 expeditable conditions. The new conditions range from adult brain disorders to rare diseases that primarily affect children.

“The addition of these new conditions expands the scope of compassionate allowances to a broader subgroup of conditions like early onset Alzheimer’s disease,” Astrue said.  “The expansion we are announcing means tens of thousands of Americans with devastating disabilities will now get approved for benefits in a matter of days rather than months and years.”

 In developing the expanded list of conditions, Social Security held public hearings and worked closely with the National Institute of Health, the Alzheimer’s Association, the National Organization for Rare Disorders, and other groups.

“This truly innovative program will provide invaluable assistance and support to patients and families coping with severely disabling rare diseases,” said Peter Saltonstall, president and CEO of the National Organization for Rare Diseases.

“The initiative not only assists those whose applications are quickly processed, but also assists those whose applications need more time and attention from SSA adjudicators,” said Marty Ford, co-chair, Social Security Task Force, Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities.

For information about the agency’s compassionate allowance initiative, visit: