January 3, 2013

YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY Rock Island, Illinois Office

VitalChristina
By Cristina Vital
Manager
Rock Island Social Security office

SOCIAL SECURITY ANNOUNCES NEW COMPASSIONATE ALLOWANCES CONDITIONS

Fast Track Disability Process Will Now Include 200 Conditions

Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security, today announced 35 additional Compassionate Allowances conditions are in effect, bringing the total number of conditions in the expedited disability process to 200. Compassionate Allowances are a way to quickly identify diseases and other medical conditions that, by definition, meet Social Security’s standards for disability benefits. The program fast-tracks disability decisions to ensure that Americans with the most serious disabilities receive their benefit decisions within days instead of months or years. These conditions primarily include certain cancers, adult brain disorders, and a number of rare disorders that affect children.

“We have achieved another milestone for the Compassionate Allowances program, reaching 200 conditions,” Commissioner Astrue said. “Nearly 200,000 people with severe disabilities nationwide have been quickly approved, usually in less than two weeks, through the program since it began in October 2008.”

By definition, these conditions are so severe that Social Security does not need to fully develop the applicant’s work history to make a decision. As a result, Social Security eliminated this part of the application process for people who have a condition on the list.

Social Security has held seven public hearings and worked with experts to develop the list of Compassionate Allowances conditions. The hearings also have helped the agency identify ways to improve the disability process for applicants with Compassionate Allowances conditions.

For more information on the Compassionate Allowances initiative, please visit www.socialsecurity.gov/com-passionateallowances.

New Compassionate Allowances Conditions

1. Adult Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
2. Adult Onset Huntington Disease
3. Allan-Herndon-Dudley Syndrome
4. Alveolar Soft Part Sarcoma
5. Aplastic Anemia
6. Beta Thalassemia Major
7. Bilateral Optic Atrophy – Infantile
8. Caudal Regression Syndrome – Types III and IV
9. Child T-Cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma
10. Congenital Lymphedema
11. DeSanctis Cacchione Syndrome
12. Dravet Syndrome
13. Endometrial Stromal Sarcoma
14. Erdheim Chester Disease
15. Fatal Familial Insomnia
16. Fryns Syndrome
17. Fulminant Giant Cell Myocarditis
18. Hepatopulmonary Syndrome
19. Hepatorenal Syndrome
20. Jervell and Lange-Nielsen Syndrome
21. Leiomyosarcoma
22. Malignant Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor
23. Malignant Germ Cell Tumor
24. MECP 2 Duplication Syndrome
25. Menkes Disease – Classic or Infantile Onset Form
26. NFU-1 Mitochondrial Disease
27. Non-Ketotic Hyperglcinemia
28. Peritoneal Mucinous Carcinomatosis
29. Phelan- McDermid Syndrome
30. Retinopathy of Prematurity – Stage V
31. Roberts Syndrome
32. Severe Combined Immunodeficiency – Childhood
33. Sinonasal Cancer
34. Transplant Coronary Artery Vasculopathy
35. Usher Syndrome – Type I