Compassionate Allowance is a program put together by the Social Security Administration. It fast-tracks applications submitted by people with severe conditions, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Applicants may wonder, How much is compassionate allowance? Compassionate Allowance allows some applicants to enjoy faster processing times for their application but doesn’t give them extra monetary benefits. 

If someone qualifies for compassionate allowance, the amount they receive is the same as the disability benefits they are eligible for under the SSA guidelines. According to the SSA’s 2023 Pennsylvania guidelines, individuals may be eligible to receive up to $1,553.30 in state and federal Supplemental Security Income payments. The amount someone receives in disability payments depends on their condition, how long they worked, and the number of work credits they earned. 

To be eligible for Compassionate Allowance, the applicant must have a condition that is likely to qualify them for disability or Supplemental Security Income automatically. The SSA has a list of conditions it flags as immediately qualifying someone for benefits, such as Batten Disease, inoperable cancers, or other severe diagnoses. Applicants who have these diagnoses in their applications enjoy a faster processing speed.  

Krasno Krasno & Onwudinjo serves the injured and disadvantaged throughout Pennsylvania. We understand how frustrating it can be to have a severe disability that prevents you from going to work or doing the things that bring you joy. Our team of Pennsylvania Social Security Disability lawyers can review your claim and help you file for benefits. We can also help you prepare and submit your application to help make sure you receive the Compassionate Allowance status you are eligible for. 

What Does the Compassionate Allowances Program Do?

The Compassionate Allowance program gives applicants with severe conditions priority status during the processing procedure. Applicants for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) are often met with long processing and waiting periods to determine their eligibility and begin receiving benefits. For individuals suffering from extremely severe diseases and disabilities, this waiting period can be extremely costly. Under the new program, people with inoperable cancers, rare genetic disorders, or other severe conditions may not have to wait as long to receive their benefits.

The SSA created the Compassionate Allowance program in response to complaints regarding lengthy disability determinations that often took years to resolve. The SSA established the Compassionate Allowance program to speed up the processing time for applicants with severe disabilities, such as inoperable cancers, that automatically qualified them for benefits.  

Compassionate Allowance benefits are paid out as either Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI benefits) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI benefits) and are subject to the same benefits criteria and limitations.

What Conditions Automatically Qualify for Disability Benefits?

The SSA recognizes the importance of quickly making decisions about and paying benefits to social security disability applicants with cancer and other severe medical conditions. There are over 200 conditions that the SSA has put on their Compassionate Allowance list and which typically automatically qualify an individual for benefits. Applications with evidence of these conditions are also given priority status as far as when the SSA processes them. 

Conditions on the Compassionate Allowance List (CAL) may include:

• Acute Leukemia
• Certain inoperable or metastasized cancers
• Alstrom Syndrome
• Atresia
• Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease
• Child Neuroblastoma
• Malignant Melanoma
• Early-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease
• Heart Transplant Waitlist
• Joubert Syndrome
• Juvenile Onset Huntington Disease
• Lewy Body Dementia
• Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
• Ohtahara Syndrome
• Progressive Bulbar Palsy
• Wolman Disease
• Zellweger Syndrome

Many types of disabilities listed in the CAL are those that significantly impact the person’s ability to work or their quality of life. Additionally, many conditions that are inoperable or terminal are on the list. 

The SSA continually updates the list of approved compassionate allowance conditions. Because of this, it’s important to consult a qualified attorney to determine whether you (or a loved one) qualify for the Compassionate Allowance program. 

How Much Is Compassionate Allowance?

The benefit that someone receives for qualifying for Compassionate Allowance is that their application may be bumped up higher on the list and processed quicker than others. The compassionate allowance does not directly impact the payments the person qualifies for under the current Social Security disability or supplemental system. So, they generally receive whatever they would or might qualify for given the rules in effect at that time and their age, disability, and the type of benefits they seek. 

For example, someone who is applying for Social Security Disability Insurance may receive benefits based on their disability, the length of time that they worked, and how many work credits they earned. A Supplemental Security Income applicant, on the other hand, receives money based on a complex calculation. 

Further, SSI recipients may also receive benefits from the Pennsylvania government on top of what they receive from the federal SSA. According to the SSA’s January 2023 publication, Pennsylvania residents who receive SSI benefits may receive a combined monthly sum of up to 1,553.30 (for individuals) or $2,728.40 (for couples). 

How Do I Qualify for the Compassionate Allowance Program?

There is no separate application process for the Compassionate Allowance program. Instead, people who are eligible for the Compassionate Allowance program should automatically experience faster processing times and, if they qualify, receive benefits quicker. In fact, the SSA uses the same types of evidence that they do on other SSDI or SSI applications, including medical records, diagnoses, and other information about the person’s condition. 

Applications with medical evidence and documentation of the qualifying CAL conditions are automatically flagged by the Social Security Administration, which then reviews and processes them before other applications.

Someone who wants to apply for the Compassionate Allowance program need only submit a regular social security disability or Supplement Security Income application and claim a disability or disease on the CAL to fast-track their application. As long as they attach the required paperwork and documentation, the SSA takes care of the rest.

In contrast to the lengthy processing periods of typical SSDI and SSI claims, the SSA may process Compassionate Allowance claims in a matter of days or weeks rather than months or years. However, Compassionate Allowance beneficiaries who have been diagnosed recently may be subjected to the SSDI waiting period – five months from the date of the disability’s onset – before receiving benefits.

Is There a Compassionate Allowance Program Waiting Period?

There is no specific Compassionate Allowance waiting period, but how long applicants must wait to hear an answer about their claim for benefits can change from case to case. Some applicants only wait a few days, while others must wait weeks or months. If the individual includes all requested information about their condition, this could help decrease the total processing time and, therefore, the time it takes for them to receive their benefits. 

Depending on the person’s condition and the applicable guidelines, they may experience a waiting period between the time the SSA grants their application and when they receive benefits. For SSDI payments, the waiting period is typically five full months after the date the SSA determines to be the start date for the person’s disability. That said, ALS patients and others in acute conditions may not have to wait to receive their benefits.  

While all Compassionate Allowance applications are evaluated on an expedited basis, processing time may be impacted by the number of other applications submitted to the SSA, the sufficiency of the medical evidence submitted, and whether a further medical examination is required.

When Should I Expect Social Security Disability Payments?

While there is no specific Compassionate Allowance program waiting period, SSDI, SSI, and Medicare beneficiaries may be subject to program waiting periods.

For example, Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) beneficiaries are usually required to wait five months from the onset of their disability to receive benefits (unless they have ALS or another qualifying condition). Supplemental Security Income (SSI) beneficiaries are not subject to any waiting period and typically receive SSI income benefits beginning from the established onset date of their disability. Medicare beneficiaries are required to wait the standard 24-month period from the onset date of their disability to be awarded benefits. There is no expedited processing for Medicare.

If they were recently diagnosed with their condition, the Compassionate Allowance applicants might begin receiving benefits five full months after the onset of their disability. Applicants may also be eligible for retroactive benefits for the period of time between the onset of their disability and the approval of their application.

Questions About Compassionate Allowance? Krasno Krasno & Onwudinjo Can Help

Experiencing a severe disability can be challenging in many respects, especially if you cannot support yourself. Getting the financial assistance you need to provide yourself and your family with food, shelter, and medical care is important. If you have a severe condition like Friedreich’s Ataxia, brain cancer, or Kleefstra syndrome, applying for government benefits may be in your best interest. And the SSA may process your application faster than it would for others, helping you to get the help you need when you need it most. 

Krasno Krasno & Onwudinjo is here to answer any questions you may have about Compassionate Allowance, SSI, or SSDI. Our team is dedicated to helping injured people get the assistance they need to support themselves and, if possible, get back to work. Stephen Shamberg has over a decade of experience assisting clients in Pennsylvania and New Jersey with applying for social security disability benefits. 

To schedule a free case evaluation, contact us today or call us at 844-243-4843