What is SSA compassionate allowance and how can you get it?

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27-03-2025

In March 2025, Public Investigator reported on a Wisconsin man who paid into Social Security for years but after receiving a terminal cancer diagnosis was unable to get disability benefits.
Due to a complex rule tied to the Social Security Administration's Compassionate Allowances program, Michael Kraft had to undergo a five-month waiting period before receiving his first check.
At the time, his doctors estimated that he had two weeks to live. If he died before then, his family was guaranteed none of the Social Security funds.
Here's what you should know about the program.
More: Wisconsin family battles Social Security Administration to secure son's funds before he dies from cancer
If you have a serious disease or medical condition and think you qualify for disability benefits like Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income, you can ask to expedite your review through something called "compassionate allowance."
Compassionate Allowances are expedited reviews of an individual's qualification for disability benefits.
The system allows the Social Security Administration to rapidly evaluate applications for rare health conditions, cancers, adult brain disorders and childhood health disorders that fall under the agency's standard for disability if the diagnosis has been confirmed by a doctor.
The Social Security Administration has a running list of conditions, diseases and illnesses that are eligible for expedited disability benefits. In order to be eligible, the disability must significantly limit a person's ability to work for at least one year.
Currently, over 280 conditions are listed as Compassionate Allowances conditions, including acute leukemia, multiple sclerosis, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, ALS, early onset Alzheimer's disease, pulmonary atresia and mitochondrial disease.
If you believe your condition should be added to the list, you can submit the name of a condition for consideration on the Social Security Administration website. The website will ask for information about how the condition is diagnosed, coded, and treated, among other things.
You can apply to the compassionate allowances program on the Social Security Administration website, at your local Social Security office or by calling the agency at 1-800-772-1213 or 1-800-325-0778 if you have difficulty hearing.
You could be eligible if you have a disability that falls under the agency's requirements and if you have a substantial work history.
In order to get Social Security Disability Insurance, you must have worked in a job that made regular Social Security contributions, meaning that you were paying a 6.2% tax into the Social Security fund.
More: Wisconsin family battles Social Security Administration to secure son's funds before he dies from cancer
Applications for Compassionate Allowance are automatically processed with computer screening technology that helps to quickly identify cases with "high probability of allowance," according to the Social Security Administration.
Individuals whose disease or condition is on the agency's approved condition list could hear back within several weeks.
Since the process requires the evaluation of medical records, depending on the complexity of the case, some reviews could take up to four months.
After being approved for the Compassionate Allowances program, you are required to wait five months from the date the agency finds that your disability began before receiving your first payment.
Your benefit payments will begin in the sixth month after the date that the agency finds that your disability began.
There are no exceptions to the waiting rule, unless you have ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and you are approved for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits. According to the Social Security Administration, no other disabilities are granted immediate payment.
If you have disability that affects your ability to work for over a year or will result in death, disability benefits could range from $1,620 to $2,700 per month, according to the Social Security Administration.
Supplemental Security Income provides monthly payments up to $967 for people with limited income.
Some people are eligible for both Supplemental Security Income and Social Security Disability Insurance.
You can appeal the denial of a claim for Social Security benefits within 60 days of receiving a determination notice.
There are four levels of appeal, including reconsideration, hearing from an administrative law judge, review by an appeals council or federal court review.
Tamia Fowlkes is a Public Investigator reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She can be reached at [e-mail].
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: What is SSA compassionate allowance and how can you get it?