Compassionate Allowance - Lesch-Nyhan Syndrome (LNS)
For most people, a child with special needs can create a financial strain. While the child is certainly a blessing nonetheless, the extra care that is needed to raise a child with a serious disability can make it difficult to maintain the same work schedules you were accustomed to keeping. Additionally, added medical and nursing costs add up. Fortunately, the Social Security Administration grants Social Security Disability benefits to children with disabilities that fall into certain parameters.
If your child is disabled according to the Social Security Administration’s definition of disability, they may qualify for programs like Medicaid, Medicare and Supplemental Security Income. Which particular Social Security Disability programs he qualifies will depend on a number of factors. In any case, if your child has a disability, consider consulting a Social Security Disability lawyer regarding placing a disability claim with the SSA.
Generally, disability claims take several months before a decision is made. For most applicants, the process involves going through a multiple-step appeals process. Your chances of approval are greatly enhanced when using an attorney to apply for benefits.
While most claims take six months or longer before they are approved, the Social Security Administration does have a set of Compassionate Allowance listings that could allow you to be approved for benefits earlier if you qualify. The conditions that qualify for a Compassionate Allowance are serious enough that they always meet the SSA’s definition of complete disability. Most of the childhood and infantile disorders included on the list for Compassionate Allowances are neurological, fatal, or both.
If you or your child has a condition that qualifies for a Compassionate Allowance, you can expect to be automatically approved for Social Security Disability benefits, and to be moved through the system much faster. After all, it makes no sense to make someone who automatically qualifies for the benefits go through a lengthy process. In most cases, those who qualify for a Compassionate Allowance are approved in about three weeks and start receiving the benefits they qualify for in the next benefit cycle.
Lesch-Nyhan Syndrome (LNS) – Condition and Symptoms
Lesch-Nyhan Syndrome (LNS) is an inherited disorder that is passed from the mother to her son. Girls can be carriers of the gene, but the disease doesn’t manifest itself in them. The disorder is present at the birth, and generally manifests itself in male babies within the first six months of life.
Lesch-Nyhan Syndrome causes a lack of the enzyme HPRT, which in turn causes uric acid to build up in all of the body fluids. Common early symptoms of the disorder are gout, mental retardation, and a lack of muscle control. Children with LNS often display self-mutilation (usually biting their fingers and lips) beginning during the child’s second year. Most children with Lesch-Nyhan syndrome never learn to walk. Other symptoms include writhing involuntarily, repetitive limb movements, and grimacing. Occasionally, boys with LNS also develop a form of anemia that results from their bodies’ inability to use vitamin B-12.
There is no cure for LNS, and current treatments focus on treating the symptoms. Common treatments used include laser treatments for kidney stones, medication for gout, and medication for neurological symptoms (though no standard course of treatment has been established). Most boys with LNS die by age twenty, and many die within the first decade of life.
Filing for Social Security Disability with Lesch-Nyhan Syndrome (LNS)
If your son has been diagnosed with Lesch-Nyhan Syndrome, he qualifies for a Compassionate Allowance. This not only means that he automatically qualifies for Social Security Disability benefits, but also that you should be able to start collecting benefit payments very quickly, as long as the claim is filed properly and the medical documentation supports that he has Lesch-Nyhan Syndrome (LNS).
Even though your son’s condition automatically qualifies him for Social Security Disability, you should consider having a Social Security Disability lawyer look over your claim. At the very least, your SSD representative will be able to make sure that all of your paperwork is in order. The difference between collecting benefits right away and waiting several months can be as simple as making sure that the appropriate test results are indicated on the claim forms.
You will want to make certain that the medical documentation in your claim includes enzyme testing results that show 1.5% or less of the normal enzyme activity or genetic testing results which show that the HPRT1 gene is mutated. The medical documentation should also include a full description of all developmental and physical symptoms, and these should support the diagnosis.
Your Lesch-Nyhan Syndrome (LNS) Social Security Disability Case
You can rest assured that your claim will be approved if your son has LNS. To ensure that you receive a Compassionate Allowance and begin collecting disability benefits in a timely manner, you should have a Social Security Disability attorney review your case.
Simply fill out the request for a free evaluation on this website, and a Social Security Disability lawyer will review your claim with you.
