The Social Security Administration operates a Compassionate Allowance Program that identifies certain medical conditions that it will consider disabling. These conditions allow SSA to accelerate claims processing for disability. These medical conditions usually include certain cancers, some being at a later stage, adult brain disorders, and a number of rare diseases that affect children. Waiting times for approval are reduced by several months if your condition qualifies.
Recently SSA announced 12 new conditions to its list. These are: 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, and Sarcomatoid Mesothelioma.
SSA receives information from the public, medical experts, the disability program administrators, research from the National Institute of Health and public hearings to determine if new conditions should to be added to the list.
Once the applicant provides medical confirmation of the diagnosis, the claim will be approved. The Compassionate Allowance Program has approved more than 800,000 people with severe disabilities through this accelerated program. The program contains 266 medical conditions that qualify. You can check to see if your medical condition qualifies for the Compassionate Allowance program here.