Compassionate allowances program has approved 1.2 million people
The Social Security Administration said Tuesday it added 14 health conditions to the compassionate allowances list, a program that speeds up disability benefit applications for people with certain serious illnesses and medical conditions.
The list now includes 314 conditions, and more than 1.2 million people with those conditions have been approved through the process, the SSA said.
Conditions on the list primarily include certain cancers, adult brain disorders and rare disorders that affect children, according to the agency.
“Social Security is strengthening our disability programs and making the disability determination process better, faster and higher quality to serve the American public,” Commissioner Frank J. Bisignano said in a statement. “The compassionate allowances initiative cuts through red tape and allows us to deliver support to individuals who experience life-changing diagnoses and need help fast.”
The SSA created the program in 2008. The agency said it uses technology to scan applications for included conditions and fast-tracks those applications.
Disability applications outside the program can take six to eight months for approval, the SSA said.
Conditions can be submitted for inclusion by the public online and suggested by medical and scientific experts, the National Institutes of Health and the Social Security and Disability Determination Service communities, the agency said.
The SSA said it also obtains information through past public outreach hearings about potential conditions.