The Compassionate Allowance program expedites disability decisions for persons with the most serious, and often fatal, conditions to ensure that these persons receive their disability decisions quickly, rather than the months or years it takes for most disability claims to be decided upon.   The Compassionate Allowance program identifies claims where the applicant’s disease or condition clearly meets Social Security’s standard for disability.  In January of this year, Social Security added 25 new Compassionate Allowances conditions, including 12 cancers, bring the total number of conditions to 225.  The new conditions also include serious disorders of the digestive, neurological, immune and multiple body systems.  To date, almost 200,000 people with severe disabilities have been approved through the Compassionate Allowance fast-track program for evaluating claims.

To see a complete list of Compassionate Allowance disabilities, visit the Social Security website here.