It’s time to raise ALS awareness
The Denver chapters of the ALS Association and Muscular Dystrophy Association want everyone to know that May is ALS Awareness Month. Both organizations are devoted to raising awareness of how amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, affects people.
The disease of the nervous system has a devastating effect on voluntary muscle control. That’s why the Social Security Administration (SSA) has the disease on its Compassionate Allowances list. The listed conditions are severe ones that trigger rapid claims and benefits responses from the SSA.
The SSA says on its website that ALS “is a rapidly progressive, invariably fatal neurological disease.” Those stark words make it clear why people with ALS can qualify for a Compassionate Allowance that will get the typically slow federal agency to expedite claims of people whose “whose medical conditions are so severe that their conditions obviously meet Social Security’s definition of disability.”
That means applicants can begin receiving benefits within weeks rather than months. It also means they will have a level of financial support that can ease the burden on family. Loved ones are often leaned on for not only emotional support, but also out of necessity for health care and sometimes financial support. Clearly, that can in many cases create additional stresses for families already trying to cope with health concerns of a member.
Like you, we hope to one day soon live in a world without ALS. Please see our page on Disabling Conditions to learn more about what can qualify a person for SSDI and how Alverson + O’Brien can help you fight for disability benefits you deserve but have been denied.
