Applying for disability benefits isn’t always described as the easiest process. Whether seeking benefits under the Social Security Disability Insurance program or the Supplemental Security Income program, any missed detail, medical document or other requirement could lead to a denial. The complexity or an initial denial is what often prompts individuals to sensibly hire an attorney that focuses on these claims.
In some cases, a specific condition so clearly fits the requirements of eligibility for benefits and is serious enough that the normal application process would be, in a word, unjust. Thus, the Compassionate Allowances program was established.
This Compassionate Allowances program is not a program separate from SSDI or SSI. Instead, it is essentially a smaller subset included under the scope of these two programs. When an individual’s condition is one that meets the requirements, the benefits application process is expedited under this program. On the list of conditions that qualify under the Compassionate Allowances program are 225 specific illnesses, diseases or disorders.
As of now, there are 225 conditions included on the list after25 conditions were added this year. The announcement of the added conditions was made on Thursday, Jan. 16 by the Acting Commissioner of Social Security, Carolyn W. Colvin.
Some of the 25 conditions that were added include Prostate Cancer, Angiosarcoma, Progressive Bulbar Palsy, Joubert Syndrome, Intercranial Hemangiopericytoma and Malignant Ectomesenchymoma.
As it stands, nearly 200,000 people have already obtained benefits under this Compassionate Allowances program. There is no doubt that the addition of 25 more conditions will provide others with the benefits that they need. To help avoid delay or denial, an applicant with any condition can seek the assistance of an attorney in Pennsylvania.
Source: Senior Journal, “New Compassionate Allowance Conditions Added by Social Security for SSI, SSDI Programs,” Jan. 16, 2014