You may have already started the application process for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits. But your health condition may have reached a state where you require these benefits sooner than the application process allows. This is when a compassionate allowance comes into play. Continue reading to learn whether your health condition is part of the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) compassionate allowance list and how one of the experienced attorneys in SSDI eligibility in New Jersey, at The Law Offices of Sheryl Gandel Mazur, may help you opt for this.

What is a compassionate allowance?

First of all, the SSA finds a compassionate allowance as a way to quickly identify diseases and other health conditions that clearly meet their standards for SSDI benefits. Examples include certain cancers, adult brain disorders, and rare disorders that affect children. Essentially, this program is in place so that individuals with such severe disabilities may experience a reduced waiting time.

Is my condition included in the compassionate allowance list?

Of note, the SSA receives information from several credible sources to determine what health conditions may be included or added to their compassionate allowance list. Examples include comments received from the Social Security and Disability Determination Service communities, counsel from medical and scientific experts, and research from the National Institutes of Health. That said, the most recent additions to the compassionate allowance list are as follows:

  • If you have aortic artesia.
  • If you have Eisenmenger syndrome
  • If you have endomyocardial fibrosis.
  • If you experienced a heart transplant graft failure.
  • If you are on the heart transplant wait list -1A/1B
  • If you have hypoplastic left heart syndrome.
  • If you are a left ventricular assist device recipient.
  • If you have mitral valve atresia.
  • If you have primary cardiac amyloidosis.
  • If you have pulmonary atresia.
  • If you have a single ventricle.
  • If you have tricuspid atresia.

Importantly, if you wish to review the full list of health conditions that are part of the compassionate allowance list, then you must visit the SSA’s website.

If not on the list, am I still eligible for SSDI benefits?

Rest assured, just because your health condition does not qualify for a compassionate allowance does not mean that you cannot still receive SSDI benefits. That is, there are many physical and mental conditions alike that may make you qualified. Examples of physical conditions include back injuries and arthritis, cerebral palsy, and diabetes, while examples of mental conditions include depression and bipolar disorder, learning disabilities, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

The first step you must take for your claim is to make a phone call. Without further ado, pick up the phone and contact a skilled New Jersey SSDI eligibility attorney from The Law Offices of Sheryl Gandel Mazur today.