Twelve New Diagnoses Added to Compassionate Allowances List

In July, 12 new medical diagnoses were added to the Social Security Administration’s Compassionate Allowances program. Established in 2008 with a list of 50 diseases, the program expedites review of applications for disability benefits by quickly identifying those that meet Social Security’s standards. These additions are important for people with rare diseases who, historically, have encountered problems when applying for assistance because those making decisions are not familiar with their diseases. With patient advocates submitting diseases for consideration, along with input from medical experts at the National Institutes of Health and leading medical centers, there are now 100 diseases on the list. For a complete list of compassionate allowances, go to http://www.ssa.gov/compassionate allowances/conditions.htm.