New Conditions Added to Accelerated Social Security Disability Approval Program

 Posted on September 21, 2022 in Social Security Disability

The application and approval process for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits can be time-consuming and stressful. Successfully navigating the process often requires the help of an experienced disability attorney. While we are happy to help our clients in obtaining the benefits they deserve, we are also excited when the Social Security Administration (SSA) takes steps to streamline the process.

Last month, the SSA announced additions to a specific program that has already accelerated the applications of about 800,000 Americans with disabling conditions. The additions come in the form of 12 new conditions that have been added to the Compassionate Allowance program, which expedites the processing of claims for applicants who are severely disabled.  

Compassionate Allowances

When a “normal” applicant for SSDI submits an application for benefits, the application must include documentation and proof of the person’s disabling condition. In most cases, this triggers a medical review by the SSA.

Under the SSA’s Compassionate Allowance program, the Administration’s systems identify claims from applicants whose condition clearly meets the SSA’s standard for a disabling condition. This allows the medical review process to be drastically accelerated. More than 250 conditions have already been approved as eligible for a Compassionate Allowance, and the SSA announced the addition of 12 more in August of this year.

New Compassionate Allowance Conditions

According to a press release from the SSA, the following conditions are now eligible for Compassionate Allowances:

• Renal Amyloidosis – AL Type

• Angioimmunoblastic T-cell Lymphoma

• Myelodysplastic Syndrome with Excess Blasts

• Blastic Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cell Neoplasm

• Sarcomatoid Mesothelioma

• Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker Disease

• Pontocerebellar Hypoplasia

• Microvillus Inclusion Disease – Child

• Mowat-Wilson Syndrome

• Posterior Cortical Atrophy

• NUT Carcinoma

• Pfeiffer Syndrome - Types II and III

In the press release, Acting Commissioner of the Social Security Administration, Kilolo Kijakazi, emphasized the SSA’s commitment to “reducing barriers and ensuring people who are eligible for benefits receive them.” With these goals in mind, Kijakazi explained that the Compassionate Allowances program helps the administration live up to its commitments by “accelerating the disability application process for people with the most severe disabilities.”

Seek Help From a Texas Social Security Disability Attorney

If you have questions about the new conditions that were added to the SSA’s Compassionate Allowances program or any other aspect of applying for SSDI benefits, contact an experienced Dallas SSDI benefits lawyer at The Law Offices of Coats & Todd. Call 972-671-9922 for a free case evaluation with a member of our team to discuss your unique circumstances. We look forward to helping you obtain the benefits you need.

Sources:

https://www.ssa.gov/news/press/releases/2022/?utm_content=pressrelease&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery#8-2022-1

https://www.ssa.gov/compassionateallowances/conditions.htm