12 New Social Security ‘Compassionate Allowances’ – Can You Get a Faster Payout?

The Social Security Administration has added 12 new health conditions under its Compassionate Allowances program, meaning people with these conditions now have faster access to Social Security disability benefits.

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The program is designed to quickly identify claims where the applicant’s condition or disease clearly meet Social Security’s statutory standard for disability. Due to the severe nature of many of these conditions, claims are often allowed based on medical confirmation of the diagnosis alone.

On Monday, Social Security Acting Commissioner Kilolo Kijakazi announced that the 12 new Compassionate Allowances conditions are:

  • Angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma

  • Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm

  • Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker disease

  • Microvillus inclusion disease – Child

  • Mowat-Wilson syndrome

  • Myelodysplastic syndrome with excess blasts

  • NUT carcinoma

  • Pfeiffer syndrome – Types II and III

  • Pontocerebellar hypoplasia

  • Posterior cortical atrophy

  • Renal amyloidosis – AL type

  • Sarcomatoid mesothelioma.

With these 12 new conditions, the Compassionate Allowances program now covers a total of 266 conditions. More than 800,000 people with severe disabilities have been approved through the accelerated, policy-compliant disability process, according to the SSA.

“The Social Security Administration is committed to reducing barriers and ensuring people who are eligible for benefits receive them,” Kijakazi said in a statement. “Our Compassionate Allowances program allows us to strengthen that commitment by accelerating the disability application process for people with the most severe disabilities.”

When you apply for disability benefits, the SSA must obtain your medical records so it can make an accurate determination. The agency incorporates leading technology — including electronic medical records — to identify potential Compassionate Allowances cases and make quick decisions.

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For more information about the program, including a list of all Compassionate Allowances conditions, visit the SSA’s Compassionate Allowances page.

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