Thousands of Americans with disabilities will now be able to access benefits more easily.
Twelve additional conditions will be covered by this new program extension.
Tax refund: Payments worth up to $650 sent out to Indiana residents in just days
Who will benefit from the program extension?
The Social Security Administration (SSA) has added twelve conditions that will be covered under the Compassionate Allowances program. This initiative started in 2008 to ease the process of of making a claim for Social Security disability benefits.
Under the program extension, people with serious aliments, like cancer, can be approved through an expedited process. A typical SSDI application would take longer to get approval. Now, the SSA will approve benefits for people with covered conditions with medical records to confirm.
The SSA said that more than 800,000 Americans “with severe disabilities” have been approved for benefits through the program.
What conditions have been added?
The following conditions will be covered under the new Compassionate Allowance expansion:
- 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
Anyone with one of these conditions will now have their Social Security disability application streamlined. With the twelve conditions recently added, the the Compassionate Allowances program now covers 266 medical conditions. The full list is available on the SSA’s website.
How do you apply?
Americans looking to apply for SSDI payments, can do so through the SSA. The maximum SSDI benefit is $3,333 per month, compared to a monthly payment of $1,261 for SSI beneficiaries.
If you qualify for an expedited application or not, you can apply for benefits online. calling is also an option– the SSA can be reached at 1-800-772-1213 Monday through Friday between 7am and 7pm.
If you have a condition covered by the Compassionate Assistance program– you should be approved as soon as your medical records have been received. However, the average wait time for other applicants is 3-5 months.
Candice Ritzie: Missing woman considered endangered in Missoula, Montana
