Juvenile Onset Huntington’s Disease Fastracked for Disability Benefits
The Social Security Administration has added Juvenile Onset Huntington’s Disease (JHD) as a Compassionate Allowance (CAL) condition for expedited processing for disability determination. The change means that people with JHD will get approved for disability benefits more quickly.
“This is an important victory for all families facing Juvenile Onset Huntington’s disease,” said Louise Vetter, CEO of the Huntington’s Disease Society of America. “Currently, applicants usually go through a long decision process and are sometimes denied benefits that are only won after arduous, long appeals.
The Juvenile Huntington’s disease CAL status begins in August of this year and will include both Social Security Disability Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSD).
Currently, only 130 conditions are designated as CAL.
Estimates are that more than 30,000 people in the United States are currently diagnosed with Huntington’s disease. Approximately 10 percent of these cases are JHD.
Check out the Huntington’s Disease Society of America’s Disability Toolkit.