Whether you are injured on the job or have recently received a diagnosis for a chronic illness, you may qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance. SSDI benefits assists those who are chronically ill, injured or disabled with supplemental finances to help them make ends meet, as they may not be able to work in a traditional job.
The backlog of SSDI applications, however, means applicants can expect to wait over a year to hear back regarding a decision made in their case. Sadly, some applicants have passed away from their conditions before they received approval for financial benefits. To avoid this problem, in certain cases people may be able to access benefits more quickly.
Quick assistance for serious conditions
The purpose of the Compassionate Allowances Program is to help people who suffer from widely recognizable terminal and/or chronic conditions get approval for SSDI benefits sooner. Conditions on the compassionate allowances list are chronic and/or terminal according to the program’s guidelines and need little investigation from SSA representatives into the severity of the condition.
These conditions include the following:
- Adult-onset brain disorders
- Certain types of cancers
- Chronic heart conditions, such as aplastic anemia and ataxia
- ALS, Huntington’s Disease and Alzheimer’s
- Rare genetic disorders
SSA representatives research information from medical health experts, SSDI community members, public forums and the National Institutes of Health in order to update the list of covered conditions.
Advantages of the program
Because these conditions are well-known and clearly meet the requirements for SSDI benefits, the applications typically can quickly move through the process. Applicants can receive an approval or denial within a few weeks or a month, in comparison to over a year if they go through the traditional process.
In addition, those applying may not have to submit as extensive documentation as most disability claims require. Qualifying applicants may also be able to receive retroactive payments.
