In October 2011, the Commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA), Michael J Astrue, announced that the SSA was adding 13 new disabilities to the list of Compassionate Allowance conditions. By adding additional Compassionate Allowances, the SSA will make the process of applying for Social Security disability benefits easier and more efficient for some people.

Compassionate Allowances Program

The Compassionate Allowances program is a system of fast-tracking applications for disability benefits by those who are obviously disabled. The SSA has identified a list of conditions that meet the SSA's definition of disability. If a person applying for disability benefits is affected by a condition on the list of Compassionate Allowances, advanced information technology equipment will flag the application and put it into an expedited review process.

In the expedited review, the Disability Determination team requires much less supporting medical evidence to make a determination on an application. The team can make a decision in a matter of weeks, rather than the months that it normally takes.

With the addition of the newest 13 conditions, the list of Compassionate Allowance conditions has reached 113.

New Compassionate Allowance Conditions

The new conditions that the SSA added to the Compassionate Allowances list are:

  • ALS/Parkinsonism Dementia Complex
  • Angelman Syndrome
  • Corticobasal Degeneration
  • Lewy Body Dementia
  • Lowe Syndrome
  • Malignant Multiple Sclerosis
  • Multicentric Castleman Disease
  • Multiple System Atrophy
  • Paraneoplastic Pemphigus
  • Primary Central Nervous System Lymphoma
  • Primary Effusion Lymphoma
  • Progressive Supranuclear Palsy
  • Pulmonary Kaposi Sarcoma

Applying for Social Security disability benefits can be a complicated process. If you are disabled and unable to work, talk to an experienced Social Security attorney who can help you navigate the disability benefit application maze.

Source: Social Security Administration, "Social Security Expands Compassionate Allowances Conditions," Oct. 13, 2011.