When illness makes it impossible for you to continue at your job, the Social Security Administration (SSA) has a benefits program aimed at people like you. The Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program targets workers who have put enough into the system via payroll deductions to qualify. Having enough work credits is only part of the qualifications, however. You must have a medical condition and show proof that it prevents you from working. In most cases, it can take months to be approved or to even get a denial from the SSA after an application. If you are afflicted with certain conditions, however, you can expect a faster approval time. Read on to find out more about the compassionate allowance program and what you need to know to qualify for it.
The Compassionate Allowance List of Afflictions
The SSA covers a wide variety of illnesses and mental disorders from cancers to Alzheimer's and more. If you were to examine the process for applying and getting approved for benefits, it becomes clear that those suffering from certain illnesses are approved at rates far beyond other illnesses. Those are the afflictions that appear on the compassionate allowance list. These illnesses are serious and have tightly-defined elements that can be proven more easily than with other illnesses. For example, those who suffer from fibromyalgia are challenged to prove the many symptoms and signs of the disease so getting approved can take a long time.
More to the Evaluation
Unfortunately, if you suffer from one of the diseases on the compassionate allowance list, you might still need to show that you not only have it but that you meet the approval parameters. For example, those who are in need of a heart transplant must demonstrate that they have been placed on the transplant list by a medical specialist and that they show the symptoms of end-stage heart disease. The compassionate allowance list is ever-changing with more diseases being added all the time. You can also apply for a disease to be included on the list, if necessary. For many, the need to show medical proof is an additional burden on top of dealing with the disease, but if you apply because of a qualifying disease, the SSA will take on that burden for you. They will contact your doctors, procure your medical records, and take steps to shorten the approval process considerably.
If you are having problems with your application and approval, speak to a disability lawyer as soon as possible for help with an appeal.
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