The Social Security Administration added 25 conditions concerning the Compassionate Allowance program pertaining to Social Security disability insurance. This program allows applicants with serious disabilities to receive SSDI benefits within days.
Close to 200,000 individuals are served by this fast-track process. It is catered towards individuals suffering from severe disabilities or illnesses that can be easily identified.
Now included in the Compassionate Allowance program would be 12 cancers including prostate cancer. Also included will be disorders involving digestive, immune and neurological symptoms. The Compassionate Allowance program can prove advantageous to many disabled individuals in that it can expedite certain claims.
The Compassionate Allowance program is just one element of the SSDI process. There are many other disabled individuals in equal need of assistance. Unfortunately, many SSDI claims do get bogged down in the process and it’s easy for applicants to give up. However, disabled people should not feel they fail to qualify for SSDI simply because they suffer from a condition that does not meet the Compassionate Allowance criteria.
Residents of Michigan already qualify for SSDI when they are unable to work due to illness or injury and meet other specifications. However, many individuals are denied benefits when they apply in part because the process is so complex.
Attorneys experienced in handling SSDI claims can prove helpful. These attorneys can help smooth out the process, assist in putting together applications and provide representations at any hearings. In certain circumstances attorneys can assist if a claim is originally denied and requires an appeal.
Source: Senior Journal, “Social Security’s Compassionate Allowances Speed Disability Decision for Desperate Americans,” Oscar Garcia, March 8, 2014
