Disability Benefits For Children With HLHS
By Attorney Chris Sharry on March 12th, 2012 in Child's Disability Benefits, Disability, Hypoplastice Left Heart Syndrome
I’ve addressed children’s disability benefits in previous posts, but would like address a specific disability, hypoplastic left heart syndrome, in this post. Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS) is a congenital heart defect where most of the structures on the left side of the heart are too small and underdeveloped (hypoplastic) to provide enough red blood flow for the body’s needs. The Social Security Administration has listed HLHS on their list of compassionate allowances. Compassionate allowances are medical conditions so serious that their conditions obviously meet disability standards. Compassionate Allowances are a way of quickly identifying diseases and other medical conditions that will ultimately qualify for benefits.
To recap, children’s disability benefits will be awarded to those children with:
- physical or mental condition(s) , or combination of conditions, that results in marked and severe functional limitations;
- The condition(s) must have been disabling, or expected to be disabling, for at least 12 continuous months; and
- The child must not be working and earning more than $1,010 per month.
HLHS is a rare congenital congenital heart defect (CHD) that may be diagnosed at birth or on a prenatal ultrasound. HLHS consists of under-development of the left side of the heart. Usually, the entire left side of the heart is affected, and can include the left ventricle, mitral valve, the aortic valve and the aorta. Because of the under-development of the left side of the heart, the right side of the heart must work harder to maintain circulation to sustain both lungs and the rest of the body. This, in turn, may cause heart failure.
A social security disability claim can take up to 2 years to process before being awarded benefits or ultimately denied, depending on many factors. Because HLHS is listed on SSA’s list of compassionate allowances, the process may be expedited, and families may receive benefits in a matter of weeks versus a matter of months or possibly years.
