Today, more than five million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease. Since the onset of Alzheimer’s can occur in people before they retire, it may strike during an individual’s working years, preventing gainful employment as the disease progresses.
As a result, people must come to grips with a devastating diagnosis while losing their salary and benefits. People with Alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers must figure out how they will pay for care. Our benefits and services are vital to people with early-onset Alzheimer’s who are unable to work.
For over a decade, Social Security has included Alzheimer’s disease in our Compassionate Allowances program. The Compassionate Allowances program identifies debilitating diseases and medical conditions so severe they obviously meet our disability standards. Compassionate Allowances allow for faster processing of disability claims for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease, mixed-dementia, and Primary Progressive Aphasia.
We would like to clarify that each individual should meet certain work or non-medical entitlement factors before we can evaluate any medical condition on his/her disability claim. This requirement also apply to our expedited ‘Compassionate Allowance’ process. Find out about the requirements to qualify for our disability, disabled widow(er), disabled divorced widow(er), as well as disabled adult child benefits.
You can read more about our Compassionate Allowances program at www.ssa.gov/compassionateallowances. To learn more about how Social Security disability insurance works, visit our disability page at www.ssa.gov/disability. Please share these resources with friends and family.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we could not receive visitors at our field office except for previously arranged appointments on special limited critical situations. However, we continue providing our services by phone and internet. If you have questions on Social Security benefits and services, please access www.socialsecurity.gov. You could also access our automated services at 1-800-772-1213 or call your local Social Security office Monday to Friday from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. To locate the telephone number of your local field office, please input your residential zip code at www.ssa.gov/locator/