Officials from the Social Security Administration met last month in an Outreach Hearing to discuss the idea of adding Early-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease and other related dementia illnesses to the Compassionate Allowance Listings.
Testimony was given by Harry Johns, President and CEO of the Alzheimer’s Association. In an effort to point out that Alzheimer’s Disease can strike before retirement age Mr. Johns stated, ” In the past 3 years, the Alzheimer’s Association has conducted Town Hall Meetings for people with early-stage Alzheimer’s and other dementias. More than half of the people with early-stage Alzheimer’s or dementia who participated in these meetings had been diagnosed before age 65.”
Mr. Johns continued by commenting on how individuals who are diagnosed with Early-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease encounter loss of job, income and health insurance. “More importantly”, he continued,” we’ve heard a lot about problems many of them have had in applying for and being found eligible for Socil Security Disability Income (SSDI).”
In a March 2008 CBS News report, Dr. Alan Levey, director of Alzheimer’s Research at Emory University stated, “People are still working, then have families, it affects them in amuch different way than if they had been retired for ten years as is often the case.” Approximately ten percent of all Alzheimer’s patients contract the disease before age 65, and although it is rare, some patients contract the disease in their 50’s.
Compassionate Allowance Listings are a way that the Social Security Administration can quickly identify diseases and conditions that ultimately will qualify under the Listing of Impairments. The initial list contained 50 conditions and hearings are held to discuss making additions from time to time.
You can watch the videocast of the hearing here.
#1 by Jake Thomas at October 23rd, 2009
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I hope this helps. EOA (Early Onset Alzheimer’s) is a heartbreaker.