The Commissioner of Social Security announced the agency is adding 38 new conditions to its list of Compassionate Allowances. This is the first expansion of the list since the original 50 conditions - 25 rare diseases and 25 cancers - were determined in October 2008. The new conditions range from adult brain disorders to rare childhood diseases.
"The addition of these new conditions expands the scope of Compassionate Allowances to a broader subgroup of conditions like early-onset Alzheimer's disease," stated Commissioner Astrue. "The expansion we are announcing today means tens of thousands of Americans with devastating disabilities will now get approved for benefits in a matter of days rather than months and years."
Compassionate Allowances quickly identify diseases and other medical conditions that clearly qualify for Social Security and Supplemental Security Income disability benefits. Allowances help the agency to electronically target and make rapid decisions for the most obviously disabled individuals. In developing the expanded list of conditions, Social Security held public hearings and worked closely with numerous national organizations.
"We will continue to hold hearings and look for other diseases and conditions that can be added to our list of Compassionate Allowances," Commissioner Astrue reported. "There can be no higher priority than getting disability benefits quickly to those Americans with these severe and life-threatening conditions."
Social Security will begin electronically identifying these 38 new conditions March 1.
For more information about the agency's Compassionate Allowances initiative, go to www.socialsecurity.gov/compassionateallowances.
New Compassionate Allowance Conditions
Alstrom Syndrome
Amegakaryocytic Thrombocytopenia
Ataxia Spinocerebellar
Ataxia Telangiectasia
Batten Disease
Bilateral Retinoblastoma
Cri du Chat Syndrome
Degos Disease
Early-Onset Alzheimer's Disease
Edwards Syndrome
Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva
Fukuyama Congenital Muscular Dystrophy
Glutaric Acidemia Type II
Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), Familial Type
Hurler Syndrome, Type IH
Hunter Syndrome, Type II
Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
Junctional Epidermolysis Bullosa, Lethal Type
Late Infantile Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinoses
Leigh's Disease
Maple Syrup Urine Disease
Merosin Deficient Congenital Muscular Dystrophy
Mixed Dementia
Mucosal Malignant Melanoma
Neonatal Adrenoleukodystrophy
Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinoses, Infantile Type
Niemann-Pick Type C
Patau Syndrome
Primary Progressive Aphasia
Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy
Sanfilippo Syndrome
Subacute Sclerosis Panencephalitis
Tay Sachs Disease
Thanatophoric Dysplasia, Type 1
Ullrich Congenital Muscular Dystrophy
Walker Warburg Syndrome
Wolman Disease
Zellweger Syndrome
