Social Security Adds 14 New Disability Conditions

Social Security added 14 conditions to its Compassionate Allowances list. See what could speed up benefits.

Social Security Card — Source: Tom Grill / Getty

Social Security has added over a dozen medical conditions to its disability list, which can help speed up the process of receiving benefits for some people. On Tuesday, the federal agency announced that 14 conditions will be added to its Compassionate Allowance list.

The program expedites claims for people with severe or life-threatening conditions who meet Social Security’s disability benefit standards.

Your typical disability application can require six to eight months to receive approval. According to the Social Security Administration, more than 1.2 million people with disabilities have been approved through the accelerated disability process. Comissioner frank bisignano said, “Social Security is strengthening our disability programs and making the disability determination process better, faster, and higher-quality to serve the American public. The Compassionate Allowances initiative cuts through red tape and allows us to deliver support to individuals who experience life-changing diagnoses and need help fast.”

The added conditions include rare pediatric and neurological disorders such as Lafora disease, which is a rare, life-threatening condition that causes seizures and cognitive decline among children, and Aicardi syndrome, which is a rare disability mainly found affecting girls.

The 14 conditions added to the Compassionate Allowances list are: