Social Security Adds 9 Health Conditions That Qualify for Expedited Benefits

With the latest changes, the Compassionate Allowances program now covers 287 conditions, including several types of cancers and brain disorders.

The logo of the US Social Security Administration outside a Social Security building in Burbank, Calif., on Nov. 5, 2020. VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images

The Social Security Administration has added nine new health conditions under its Compassionate Allowances designation. This means that people with these conditions will now have faster access to Social Security disability benefits than through the usual process.

Many conditions on the program’s list are rare diseases, although some are more common.