When you file for Social Security Disability (SSD) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI), you likely want to receive benefits as soon as possible. For most people, there is a long wait from the date they file until they receive their first benefit payment. This time might be filled with doctor appointments set by the Social Security Administration (SSA), denials and appeals.
Some people might worry that they are going to succumb to their condition before they ever see a single penny from SSD. What they might not realize is that some conditions qualify for a Compassionate Allowances program that helps them get benefits sooner. You can think of this as a fast track of sorts to get benefits to people who need them the most.
Many of the conditions that are on the list of conditions that qualify for this program are brain disorders that occur in adults, some cancers and some rare conditions that impact children. People who have one of the conditions on the list are quickly identified due to technology that the SSA uses when processing applications.
Here are some examples of conditions that qualify as compassionate allowances:
- Parkinsonism dementia complex or ALS
- Batten disease
- Certain bladder cancers
- Certain breast cancers
- Child lymphoma
- Child neuroblastoma
- Esophageal cancer
- Ewing sarcoma
- Heart transplant graft failure
- Histiocytosis syndromes
- Juvenile onset Huntington disease
- Lewy body dementia
- Maple syrup urine disease
- Mitral valve atresia
- Osteogenesis imperfecta type II
- Tay Sachs disease, infantile
The list is updated often. For example, on Aug. 20, 2018, fibrolamellar cancer, megacystis microcolon intestinal hypoperistalsis syndrome and megalencephaly capillary malformation syndrome were added to the list.
If you are considering filing for SSD or SSI based on a condition that might qualify for a compassionate allowance, you should find out if the condition and your specific circumstances are listed. This might help you get the benefits you need quickly.