The Compassionate Allowances Program
The Compassionate Allowances program was created by the Social Security Administration to help speed up the application process for those applicants suffering from serious medical conditions. Many people with rare diseases have experienced delays when applying for social security benefits due to a lack of awareness of the diseases by decision makers. The Compassionate Allowances program was established to make it easier to process these applications. The program gives Social Security administrators the ability to quickly target and process the medical information needed for diseases on the program’s list.
In the past, people with rare diseases experienced delays lasting months and in some cases even years when applying for Social Security Benefits. The program started out with a list of 50 medical conditions and has recently added 38 to its list of impairments.
According to the Social Security Administration’s website:
“The initial list of Compassionate Allowance conditions was developed as a result of information received at public outreach hearings, public comment on an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, comments received from the Social Security and Disability Determination Service communities, and the counsel of medical and scientific experts. The expanded list of conditions was developed by holding additional public outreach hearings, working closely with the National Institutes of Health, the Alzheimer’s Association, the National Organization for Rare Disorders, and other groups.”