The Compassionate Allowances program from the Social Security Administration was started in response to long wait times many Claimants see after having applied for Social Security disability. The Compassionate Allowances program allows those with certain severe conditions whose disability obviously meets disability standards to quickly navigate the disability process. It is not a separate program from the Social Security Disability Insurance or Supplemental Security Income programs, but just a means for claimants to get approved under those programs faster.
On August 11, 2025, the Social Security Administration added 13 conditions to the list of the diagnoses that qualify for a Compassionate Allowance designation. The 13 conditions are:
- Au-Kline Syndrome
- Bilateral Anophthalmia
- Carey-Fineman-Ziter Syndrome
- Harlequin Ichthyosis – Child
- Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation
- LMNA-related Congenital Muscular Dystrophy
- Progressive Muscular Atrophy
- Pulmonary Amyloidosis – AL Type
- Rasmussen Encephalitis
- Thymic Carcinoma
- Turnpenny-Fry Syndrome
- WHO Grade III Meningiomas
- Zhu-Tokita-Takenouchi-Kim Syndrome
Due to the severe nature of the conditions on the Compassionate Allowances list, these claims are often allowed based on medical confirmation of the diagnosis alone. More than 1.1 million people with severe disabilities have been approved through an accelerated process as a result of the Compassionate Allowances program. The list has a total of 300 conditions.
For more information on the Compassionate Allowances program, contact an experienced Social Security disability attorney at Gardberg & Kemmerly, P.C. today at 251-343-1111 for a free case evaluation. Gardberg & Kemmerly, P.C. represents Social Security disability claimants in Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, and Louisiana at all levels of the disability process from initial application to appeals to Federal Court.