Disability, Guest Bloggers

HeartBrothers Foundation is Spreading the Word About Compassionate Allowances

February 17, 2022 • By

Reading Time: 2 Minutes

Last Updated: March 2, 2022

A photo of Pat SullivanPeople diagnosed with heart failure face a challenging health journey—and the last thing they should have to worry about is finances. Many heart failure patients rely on Social Security disability benefits to help cover living expenses while they can’t work to support themselves and their families.

That’s why it’s so important for people with heart failure to know about Social Security’s Compassionate Allowances initiative. It helps patients get the financial support they need quickly.

The nonprofit HeartBrothers Foundation is spreading the word about Social Security’s Compassionate Allowances initiative. At HeartBrothers, we serve thousands of heart failure patients and their families with financial and emotional support, including accommodations at our HeartBrothers House.

At a recent HeartBrothers symposium, a Social Security representative spoke about Compassionate Allowances. This initiative allows Social Security to quickly identify severe medical conditions and diseases that obviously meet their strict standards for disability benefits. Social Security can then expedite the review process and make a final decision for these claims.

People with conditions on the Compassionate Allowances list can receive a decision on their claim in weeks rather than months. There are currently 254 conditions on the list – including Heart Transplant Wait List 1A/1B and Heart Transplant Graft Failure.

More than 700,000 people have had their claims fast-tracked and approved through the Compassionate Allowances initiative – including about 11,000 with cardiac-related claims. You can learn more about this initiative and all the conditions it covers by visiting Social Security’s Compassionate Allowances page.

There is no separate application for claims involving conditions on the Compassionate Allowances list. When you apply for disability benefits, be sure to correctly spell the name of your qualifying condition(s) so that Social Security can expedite your case. To learn more about Social Security’s disability programs, visit their website.

You can learn more about the HeartBrothers Foundation at heartbrothers.org. Please share this information with your friends and family – and post it on social media.

Our posting of this blog does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation of any non-Social Security organization, author, or webpages.

Editorial Note: An earlier version of this blog contained some statements about the Compassionate Allowances program that could be misconstrued. We have since made additional edits for clarification.

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About the Author

Pat Sullivan, HeartBrothers Co-Founder

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Comments

  1. kevin

    Thank you for such a wonderful article.

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  2. Lucille F.

    My husband paid his ex-wife weekly payments to help support their children. He is now disabled and living off of his social security payments and SSI is taking 1/3 of his check to repay child support that they claim he never provided. We now live on my SSI and a portion of his SSI payments. We are now scrimping to live. He is now 75 years old and his children are in their late 40’s and help us with our utilities, because we are not able to maintain them by ourselves. What can we do to have the child support relieve us of this burden?

    • A.C.

      Hi, Lucille. We are sorry to hear about your husband’s condition and your situation. We suggest that your husband work with his local Child Support Bureau for guidance in this issue. Thanks. 

  3. Robin M.

    My husband has been trying to get his social security started I no at least 4 yrs now an he got dieny every time,I no pf 4 time already he has gotten heart trouble and on oxygen and CPA taking almost 20 meds and still they won’t give it to him with doctors stips says he can’t work and still can’t get it can you help him please

    • A.C.

      Hi, Robin. We are sorry to hear about your husband’s condition. Social Security pays disability benefits to people if they have a medical condition that has prevented them from working or is expected to prevent them from working for at least 12 months. We use the same five-step process to make a decision on each application.  You may also find our listing of impairments useful.

      If he disagrees with the decision, he can file an appeal. There are four levels in the appeals process. A reconsideration is the first level. Typically, the length of time it takes to receive a decision on a reconsideration is about 60 days but the amount of time could vary from case-to-case. We reevaluate all evidence, plus any additional evidence submitted and make a new decision. If he disagrees with the reconsidered decision, he can choose to go to the next level of the appeals process. We hope this helps.

      • Steven M.

        The process is flawed. The reasonable amount of time involved is beyond unreasonable.
        And the ALJs is allowed to humiliate and degrade and deny us due process and to devalue the doctors assessments and diagnosis. Since when is a lawyer allowed to overrule a doctors findings as being “not petsuasive”. I weigh 110 pounds and the ALJ s stated that I can lift fifty pounds with frequency. You lift half your bodyweight. Proposterous. I have diminished heart and lung responses. The records are clear… I can’t work anymore….two states say I’m disabled….the SSA says my doctors assessments are … not persuasive.
        I PAID MY TAXES….PLAYED THIER GAME…take your dollars and bury them in a coffeecan ….or self invest… that’s what I learned by playing by the rules….denied after three years of beauracratic nightmare and bad faith dealings. For shame … ! I’m advanced age 59 …. there’s no way of knowing how much has been taken from me in taxes….and for the bums rush….for shame.

        • Sue w.

          Get a lawyer! It’s the only way!

        • PX

          Same here. Now my case has been referred to civil courts. You work hard, pay into a system that doesn’t give a damn!
          ALJ’s making decision over your conditions and aren’t fully aware of your past work. Meet all criteria and still get denied.

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  10. Edgar L.

    My SSDI was stopped in November for sending my financial information. I don’t know why I’m being denied with my reconsideration and they claimed I was not disabled anymore. I don’t know what else to do to get my compensation back in which I was receiving SSDI since 2012. My only income is $151. from
    OPM AND $750. From V.A. Compensation. I’m desperately need a lot of help. I wasn’t getting paid for 3 months

    • A.C.

      Hi, Edgar. We are sorry to hear abour your situation. For your security, we do not have access to private information in this venue. We ask that members in our Blog community work with our offices with specific questions. You can call us at 1-800-772-1213, Monday through Friday, between 8:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., for assistance. You can also contact your local Social Security office. We hope this helps.

      • Wendi G.

        Yeah, you can try, but I wouldn’t count on anyone ever answering your call. I’ve been trying to reach someone for over a month, at both the local and toll-free numbers, but no one ever answers. I’m in desperate need of assistance myself and am at a loss as to what to try next. I wish there was a way to actually make an appointment online like the website says, but there’s not. No way to talk to anyone in the office except by appointment. Which is impossible without talking to someone. It’s been really frustrating waiting on hold for close to an hour, only to have the automated system hang up. I hope they improve accessibility soon. But I can only hope.

        • M

          Not sure how much this varies by location, but I’ve been to multiple local offices with no appointment and was always able to speak to someone. Yes of course there’s a wait, but it’s a government office so that goes with the territory. I’d hate to see any of you waste even more of your time.. but if you’re really out of options you could try just going? Just a thought. Sorry can’t offer any magical solutions!

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