The Social Security Administration (SSA) recognizes that some medical conditions are always severe. Accordingly, it created the Compassionate Allowances program to allow people with these conditions to fast track through the SSI/SSDI application process. Throughout the last month, our Massachusetts disability benefit attorneys have posted a listing of these conditions in our series of articles, “Conditions That Qualify for the SSA’s Compassionate Allowances Program.” This is Part 5 of that listing.
Pearson syndrome: A mitochondrial disease that is usually fatal in infancy.
Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease – classic form: A nervous system disorder that affects coordination, motor ability, and intellectual function in infants.
Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease – connatal form: A nervous system disorder that affects coordination, motor ability, and intellectual function that occurs at birth and is usually fatal in infancy.
Peripheral nerve cancer – metastatic or recurrent: A cancer of the nervous system.
Peritoneal mesothelioma: A cancer in the cells that surround the abdominal cavity that is almost always caused by asbestos exposure.
Peritoneal mucinous carcinomatosis: A rare cancer of the lining of the abdominal cavity.
Perry syndrome: A progressive brain disease that causes parkinsonism, psychiatric changes, weight loss, and abnormally slow breathing.
Phelan-McDermid syndrome: A genetic mutation that causes intellectual disabilities, sleep disorders, seizures, and autism.
Pleural mesothelioma: A cancer that affects the lining of the chest and lungs. It is caused by exposure to asbestos.
Pompe disease – infantile: A usually fatal inherited disorder that affects the heart and skeletal muscles.
Primary cardiac amyloidosis: A heart disease caused by buildup of protein in the heart tissue.
Primary central nervous system lymphoma: A brain cancer that is more common in patients with suppressed immune systems.
Primary effusion lymphoma: A cancer of the blood cells related to AIDS infection.
Primary progressive aphasia: A progressive speech disorder.
Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy: A disease of the white matter of the brain that occurs in patients with compromised immune systems.
Progressive supranuclear palsy: A degenerative disease of the brain.
Pulmonary atresia: A congenital heart disease that occurs when the pulmonary valve fails to develop.
Pulmonary Kaposi sarcoma: A lung cancer caused by the herpes virus in patients with weakened immune systems.
Retinopathy of prematurity – stage V: Retinal detachment resulting from abnormal blood vessel development in the eyes of premature infants.
Rett syndrome: A disorder that affects the gray matter of the brain and causes seizures, gastrointestinal disorders, scoliosis, lack of verbal skills, and other disabilities.
Rhabdomyosarcoma: A childhood cancer of the muscles that attach to the bone.
Rhizomelic chondrodysplasia punctata: A bone abnormality that affects how the bone grows and causes skeletal abnormalities, distinctive facial features, respiratory problems, and intellectual disability.
Roberts syndrome: A genetic disorder characterized by slow growth and abnormalities in all four limbs.
Salivary tumors: A tumor in the glands that make saliva.
Sandhoff disease: A progressive genetic disease that causes destruction of the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.
Schindler disease – type 1: An inherited disorder that causes developmental regression, seizures, blindness, and death.
Severe combined immunodeficiency – childhood: A genetic disorder in which the immune system is severely impaired.
Single ventricle: A heart defect present at birth.
Sinonasal cancer: A cancer of the nasal cavity.
Small cell cancer (of the large intestine, ovary, prostate, or uterus): An aggressive cancer.
Small cell lung cancer: An aggressive lung cancer.
Small intestine cancer – inoperable, unresectable, recurrent, or with distant metastases: An aggressive cancer of the small intestine.
Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome: A genetic disorder that causes distinctive facial features, small head size, behavior problems, and intellectual and learning disabilities.
Spinal muscular atrophy – types 0 and 1: A disease that affects the motor neurons of the spinal cord and brain stem, producing muscle weakness and atrophy.
Spinal nerve root cancer – metastatic or recurrent: A cancer in the nerve roots of the spine that has spread or come back after treatment.
Spinocerebellar ataxia: A degenerative disease that affects gait and the coordination of speech, hands, and eyes.
Stiff-person syndrome: A neurologic disease that causes abnormal postures, anxiety, and autoimmune symptoms.
Stomach cancer – inoperable, unresectable, recurrent, or with distant metastases: Stomach cancer that has spread, is untreatable, or comes back after treatment.
Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis: A brain disease caused by an abnormal reaction to the measles virus.
Tabes dorsalis: A degenerative disease of the nervous system caused by untreated syphilis.
Tay-Sachs disease – infantile type: A degenerative genetic disease of the nervous system that usually causes death by age 4 or 5.
Thanatophoric dysplasia – type 1: A skeletal disorder that causes a small ribcage, shortened limbs, a flattened spine, curved thighbones, and extra folds of skin.
The ALS/parkinsonism dementia complex: An incurable, neurodegenerative disorder.
Thyroid cancer: Cancer of the thyroid gland.
Transplant coronary artery vasculopathy: A complication that occurs after a heart transplant.
Tricuspid atresia: A congenital heart disorder in which the tricuspid valve does not form.
Ullrich congenital muscular dystrophy: A form of muscular dystrophy that occurs at birth and causes weakness in the muscles and stiffness in the joints.
Ureter cancer – inoperable, unresectable, recurrent, or with distant metastases: A cancer of the urinary system.
Usher syndrome – type I: A genetic disease that affects vision, hearing, and balance.
Walker Warburg syndrome: A form of muscular dystrophy that is present at birth and is associated with brain and eye abnormalities.
Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome: A genetic disorder that causes delayed growth, delayed development, intellectual disability, seizures, and characteristic facial features.
Wolman disease: A genetic disease that affects the liver and spleen and causes malnutrition.
Xeroderma pigmentosum: A genetic disorder in which the body cannot repair damage to the skin caused by ultraviolet light.
Zellweger syndrome: A genetic disorder that affects the liver and causes seizures and mental retardation.
Even if you have a qualifying condition, you must provide medical documentation to support your claim to the SSA. Learn more in Massachusetts disability benefits lawyer John Keefe's book titled 7 Costly Mistakes That Can Ruin Your Social Security Disability Claim. For help with the Social Security application process, contact Keefe Disability Law at 888-904-6847.
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