No one wants to wait to receive their disability benefits, but some people really can’t wait. Their disabilities are simply too serious, and they might not even live that long.
In certain limited circumstances, there may be help available through the Social Security Administration’s Compassionate Allowances program.
The Compassionate Allowances program allows the Social Security Administration (SSA) to quickly identify people who have serious medical conditions that are already known to meet Social Security Disability standards for benefits. Once the agency is satisfied that you have one of these conditions, it is essentially a foregone conclusion that you deserve benefits, and your application can be expedited.
The types of conditions that qualify include certain cancers, adult brain disorders and rare conditions affecting children. There are some that have been added recently, such as congenital Zika syndrome and pericardial mesothelioma, for example. These are all very serious, disabling conditions.
The agency has a list of compassionate allowances conditions that you can see online.
I have a condition on the compassionate allowances list. Do I get benefits right away?
It’s important to understand that the SSA uses the same standards for compassionate allowances cases that it uses to determine disability in regular cases. You must still have the required number of SSD-eligible work credits before you can get SSDI benefits. You must meet the same definition of disability.
However, the SSA uses cutting-edge technology to identify compassionate allowances claims where your condition clearly meets the standard of disability. Once your file has been identified as a compassionate allowances case, the SSA will do its best to make a quick decision.
If you think you may qualify for a compassionate allowance, talk to an experienced Social Security Disability attorney for help.
