Social Security Administration March 10, 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We developed ``Compassionate Allowances'' to provide benefits quickly to applicants whose medical conditions obviously meet the definition of disability under the Social Security Act (Act) and can be identified with minimal objective medical information. In December 2007, April 2008, November 2008, July 2009, November 2009, and November 2010, we held Compassionate Allowance public hearings to help us identify the diseases and other serious medical conditions that we should consider under the Compassionate Allowance process. These hearings concerned rare diseases, cancers, traumatic brain injury and stroke, early-onset Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, schizophrenia, and cardiovascular disease and multiple organ transplants, respectively. We will hold our next hearing on March 16 to address the advisability and possible methods of identifying and implementing compassionate allowances for both adults and children with autoimmune diseases. While the public is welcome to attend the hearing, only scheduled witnesses will present testimony. We plan to address other medical conditions at subsequent hearings.