How to Determine Your Eligibility for the Compassionate Allowances Program

If you have a disability and are planning to apply for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits, it is important to know that you will need to go through a waiting period before you begin receiving benefits. The Social Security Administration (SSA) oversees federal disability benefits programs, including SSDI, and can take many months to process an application. In addition, there is a five-month waiting period from the date that your disability began. Accordingly, even if you submit your application almost immediately and it is approved, you will not be eligible to begin receiving SSDI payments until the sixth month of your disability. Yet for some people, this waiting period is devastating due to the severity of their disability.

The SSA recognizes that there are some disabilities that are much more serious than others in terms of a person’s life expectancy and other factors, and that those individuals need to begin receiving SSDI payments quickly. Certain individuals may be eligible for the Compassionate Allowances program (or CAL), through which benefits can be sped up. How can you determine your eligibility? Our national disability benefits lawyer can tell you more.

Understanding the Compassionate Allowances Program 

The Compassionate Allowances program allows the SSA to identify SSDI claims quickly “where the applicant’s disease or condition clearly meets Social Security’s statutory standard for disability” so that the SSA can quickly approve the application. The Compassionate Allowances program applies to both SSDI and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) claims.

In order to be eligible for the Compassionate Allowances program, you must meet the statutory definition of a disability used by the SSA, and you must have one of the conditions expressly identified by the SSA.

Eligibility and the Compassionate Allowances Conditions 

To be eligible, you must have one of the 287 identified Compassionate Allowances conditions. As the SSA explains, the conditions “primarily include certain cancers, adult brain disorders, and a number of rare disorders that affect children.” The eligible conditions are, according to the SSA, “the most serious disabilities” for which individuals need to have their applications for disability benefits decided quickly.

The SSA provides a searchable database of conditions, as well as a document that lists all of the current conditions. The SSA may add additional conditions to the list in the future, so it is important to seek advice about your particular disability and your eligibility for the CAL program from an experienced attorney.

Contact Our National SSDI Attorneys Today for Assistance 

The SSDI application process and waiting period can take quite some time, but those who are eligible for the Compassionate Allowances program may be able to begin receiving benefits on a much shorter and sped-up timeline. If you believe you are eligible for the Compassionate Allowances program and need assistance with your application, or you want to find out more about your eligibility, one of the experienced national SSDI benefits lawyers at the Law Offices of Stephen Barszcz can help. Contact our firm today to speak with a dedicated attorney who can answer your questions and begin working with you on your SSDI application.

Sources:

ssa.gov/compassionateallowances/

ssa.gov/compassionateallowances/conditions.htm