Ohio Social Security Disability And SSI Legal Blog

Does your medical condition warrant a compassionate allowance?

Not every Ohio resident who needs and applies for Social Security Disability Insurance from the U.S. Social Security Administration winds up receiving them. These benefits seek to help certain individuals who have serious, debilitating disabilities that are unlikely to improve anytime soon. Whether the SSA approves you of these benefits depends on several variables. Whether you paid enough into Social Security is one key consideration. The severity of the condition you have is another.

Per the SSA, if your medical condition is serious enough to hold a position on the administration’s “Compassionate Allowances” list, then it may make it easier for you to receive approval for SSDI. Having your condition appear on the Compassionate Allowances list may also mean you get access to SSDI much faster than you might otherwise.

How the Compassionate Allowances program works

There is generally a waiting period involved in applying for SSDI and getting it. However, the Compassionate Allowances program helps some applicants who have especially severe conditions fast-track their way to approval. Certain serious conditions already meet the SSA’s strict definition of the term “disability.” The SSA then uses cutting-edge technology to sort through applications and essentially move those whose conditions warrant Compassionate Allowances to the top of the pile.

What conditions warrant a Compassionate Allowance

Several hundred conditions currently appear on the SSA’s Compassionate Allowances list. Certain forms of cancer are among them. So, too, are certain adult brain disorders and a number of additional and rare disorders that impact children.

If you feel as if your condition is serious enough to merit a Compassionate Allowance, but it does not currently appear on the list of approved conditions, you may ask the SSA to consider adding your condition to the database.