Disability Law Firm Heard & Smith Comments on New Conditions Added to Social Security Administration’s (SSA) Compassionate Allowance Program
San Antonio, TX (PRWEB) February 19, 2014 -- The Social Security Administration has announced that 25 health conditions have been added to its Compassionate Allowance Program -- a move that Heard & Smith, a national disability law firm that concentrates on the disabled and the injured, says is definitely headed in the right direction, but that much more work is left to be done.
The SSA’s Compassionate Allowance program allows American suffering from (now) 225 serious health conditions – including 12 cancers – to have their disability benefit decision delivered in a matter of days, instead of waiting months or even years. So far, nearly 200,000 people have benefited from the program, which the SSA heralds as a collaboration between advocacy groups, the government, medical professionals and the general public.
“We’re pleased to see that the SSA is recognizing that many individuals suffering from severe or debilitating diseases do, in fact, meet the statutory standard for disability, and are therefore entitled to financial support as quickly as possible,” commented Joshua C. Eyestone, an experienced SSD lawyer in Heard & Smith’s Social Security Disability practice group.
“However, while this is a step in the right direction, much more has to be done. There are still thousands of disabled Americans who deserve to have their benefit application expedited, and yet they must wait months or years because their specific illness isn’t included in the Compassionate Allowance program. The SSA needs to continue broadening its definition of `disabling condition,’ so that individuals and families aren’t unfairly denied what they clearly need – and frankly, completely deserve.”
Additional information on the SSA’s Compassionate Allowance program is available at http://www.socialsecurity.gov/compassionateallowances/. A complete and updated list of all 225 disabling conditions included in the program is available at http://www.ssa.gov/compassionateallowances/conditions.htm.
Individuals who wish to learn more about SSD benefits can visit the Social Security Disability section of Heard & Smith’s website at http://www.heardandsmith.com/ssdi_ssi.html, which contains helpful articles, a glossary of SSD terms, SSD FAQs, links to additional SSD resources and more. Access to the section is free, and no sign-up is required.
For more information, contact Joshua C. Eyestone at jeyestone(at)heardandsmith(dot)com or 210-820-3737.
About Heard & Smith L.L.P.
Heard & Smith helps thousands of clients each year get the disability benefits they are entitled to. The national disability law practice group at Heard & Smith represents deserving clients in all 50 states. Heard & Smith specializes in representing the disabled in Social Security Disability (SSD), and Veterans (VA) Disability matters.
Learn more at http://www.heardandsmith.com/.
Joshua C. Eyestone, Heard & Smith, http://www.heardandsmith.com/ssdi_ssi.html, +1 (210) 477-5516, [email protected]
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