Any person who suffers from a serious illness or injury should understand that they may be eligible to collect benefits through Social Security if their condition is disabling. This money can be crucial to any person in this situation, as well as their families.
Unfortunately, the process of applying can be daunting and many people are deterred by the fact that it can also take a long time to actually start receiving benefits because of how many applications are initially denied. However, if you are in this situation or have a family member who is, you should be aware of the Compassionate Allowances Initiative.
This program is intended to help people who have life-threatening conditions and need financial support immediately. The Social Security Administration recognizes the fact that people with certain illnesses don’t have the luxury of time when it comes to seeking benefits. They cannot wait for months and months to even get a decision on their application for disability benefits: they need financial support right away.
This is where the Compassionate Allowances list comes in. People who suffer from a condition that is included on the list will have their application expedited because they have an injury or illness that will obviously be covered. This means that if you or a loved one has applied for disability benefits through Social Security and have a condition that appears on the Compassionate Allowances list, the application will be rushed through the approval process so that you can get the benefits you need as soon as possible.
Unfortunately, people who qualify for expedited benefits won’t also receive more benefits. Social Security has a rigid system in place to determine how much a person can be eligible to receive, and having a severe illness that appears on the list of Compassionate Allowances will not affect that calculation.
But in this situation, getting any type of support can prove to be essential. Working with an attorney to submit an application for these benefits can help people avoid costly errors and make the process as straightforward as possible.