The Social Security Administration is rolling out a Compassionate Allowances Initiative to expedite the processing of disability claims for applicants with conditions that are so severe that they obviously qualify.
SSA said the initiative is the second piece of its two-track, fast-track system for certain disability claims, that when combined with its Quick Disability Determination process, could result in six to nine percent of disability claims being decided in an average of six to eight days.
"Getting benefits quickly to people with the most severe medical conditions is both the right and the compassionate thing to do," said SSA commissioner Michael Astrue. "This initiative will allow us to make decisions on these cases in a matter of days, rather than months or years," he added.
SSA is launching the expedited decision process with a total of 50 conditions and said it will add more over time. It held public meetings and received help from the National Institutes of Health in designing the initiative.
