In mid-March, the Social Security Administration ("SSA") hosted a public hearing to address the possibility of adding certain autoimmune diseases to their list of Compassionate Allowances. Health experts testified in front of a panel of government officials, seeking to craft new Social Security rules to benefit victims of severe autoimmune conditions. If added to the list, autoimmune illnesses could become the latest disabling condition to receive expedited treatment by the SSA.
Faster Access to Benefits
So just what is a Compassionate Allowance? In 2008, the SSA launched an initiative to identify certain medical conditions so severe that any patient suffering from them could be automatically deemed to be disabled. The SSA compiled a list of debilitating diseases that can be easily and objectively diagnosed; this became the Compassionate Allowances list.
Normally, in order to successfully apply for Social Security Disability benefits, you must show that your medical condition causes you an inability to engage in whatever sort of work you previously did; furthermore, you must also be deemed unable to adjust to another type of work. Gathering evidence, making attempts at employment, and slogging through the Social Security Disability appeals process if your claim is initially denied can take months or even years.
However, if you suffer from a condition on the listing of Compassionate Allowances, after providing minimal medical evidence, you are considered unable to work and get to skip over the most cumbersome portion of the Social Security Disability process. Applicants with a Compassionate Allowance condition can start receiving disability payments within days rather than years.
Adding New Compassionate Allowances
The Compassionate Allowances list started with 50 medical impairments. Over time, SSA officials have expanded the listing to include 88 conditions based on public outreach hearings, consulting with expert medical staff, and working with a number of health organizations.
The autoimmune diseases hearing is the seventh of its kind since the Compassionate Allowances list was conceived. While it remains uncertain what kind of treatment autoimmune diseases will receive under future disability rules, the SSA has indicated that it expects the Compassionate Allowances list to contain about 100 conditions by the end of 2011.
Approximately 150,000 Social Security Disability cases are expected to be fast-tracked through the system this year. If you are applying for benefits, make sure you receive the quick access to the funds you need by seeking the services of an experienced Social Security Disability Attorney.
