Acting Social Security Commissioner Kilolo Kijakazi has announced the addition of twelve conditions to the Social Security Administration (SSA)’s Compassionate Allowance Conditions list. Originally formed in 2008, the Compassionate Allowance program (CAL), identifies conditions so severe that they automatically meet SSA’s definition of disability. Once identified, the decision-making process may be expedited to ensure a more timely release of benefits to individuals applying for either Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits.

The following conditions added to the list include five cancer impairments, six rare genetic disorders typically diagnosed during infancy, and the most common of adult muscular dystrophies:

• • Charlevoix Saguenay Spastic Ataxia (ARSACS): A rare autosomal recessive disorder resulting in cerebellar ataxia, spasticity, and sensory loss and weakness.
  • Choroid Plexus Carcinoma: A rare, aggressively growing malignant cancer of the brain that invades surrounding tissue and impairs normal brain function.
  • CIC-rearranged Sarcoma: A group of genetically distinct and aggressively metastatic Ewing sarcomas.
  • Congenital Zika Syndrome (CZS): A distinct pattern of birth defects and disabilities due a Zika virus infection during pregnancy.
  • Desmoplastic Mesothelioma: A rare and highly aggressive cancer most commonly occurring in the pleura – the membranous enclosure surrounding the lungs.
  • Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy – Adult: The most common of muscular dystrophies resulting in muscle weakness and wasting, loss of motor skills and ambulation, and eventual heart and respiratory failure.
  • Pericardial Mesothelioma: An extremely rare asbestos-related cancer originating in the pericardium – the protective membrane lining of the heart.
  • Refractory Hodgkin Lymphoma (RHL): A non-responsive or recurrent form of cancer affecting the lymphatic system.
  • Renpenning Syndrome: A disorder almost exclusively affecting males causing developmental delay, moderate to severe intellectual disability, and distinctive physical features.
  • SCN8A Related Epilepsy with Encephalopathy: A rare autosomal-dominant genetic disorder affecting infants, characterized by recurrent seizures of multiple types and intellectual disability.
  • SYNGAP1-related NSID: A condition primarily affecting the central nervous system due to mutations in the SYNGAP1 gene.
  • Taybi-Linder Syndrome: A rare genetic disease caused by a mutation of the gene RNU4ATAC characterized by bone and central nervous system malformations, in addition to intrauterine growth retardation (IGR).

Through the efforts of the CAL program, more than 700,000 individuals with one of the 254 designated conditions have been fast-tracked for Social Security claim approval. Hoping to reach as many individuals as possible, Social Security invites those with rare and severe conditions to submit suggestions to be added to the Compassionate Allowance list. Individuals hoping to add to the growing list of conditions may submit a condition for consideration directly on the Compassionate Allowance section of the Social Security website.

If you are currently filing for SSDI or SSI benefits and have one of the conditions recently added to the CAL list, you should reach out to your local Social Security office today to ensure that a Compassionate Allowance distinction has been added to your file to help quicken the decision making process. If you are a client of Brown & Brown Absence Services Group, you can rest assured we will be contacting Social Security on your behalf to ensure the proper processing of your claim.

Nothing in this post is intended as advice or a suggestion to elect or not elect to claim benefits of any kind, including Social Security benefits, nor is it intended as financial advice in any way.  The decision to claim benefits is a personal one that is contingent upon each individual’s unique circumstances. Nothing herein is considered medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.