[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 47 (Thursday, March 10, 2011)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 13111-13112]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-5464]


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SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION

20 CFR Parts 404, 405, and 416

[Docket No. SSA-2007-0053]


Compassionate Allowances for Autoimmune Disease, Office of the 
Commissioner; Hearing

AGENCY: Social Security Administration.

ACTION: Announcement of public hearing.

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SUMMARY: We developed ``Compassionate Allowances'' to provide benefits 
quickly to applicants whose medical conditions obviously meet the 
definition of disability under the Social Security Act (Act) and can be 
identified with minimal objective medical information. In December 
2007, April 2008, November 2008, July 2009, November 2009, and November 
2010, we held Compassionate Allowance public hearings to help us 
identify the diseases and other serious medical conditions that we 
should consider under the Compassionate Allowance process. These 
hearings concerned rare diseases, cancers, traumatic brain injury and 
stroke, early-onset Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, 
schizophrenia, and cardiovascular disease and multiple organ 
transplants, respectively. We will hold our next hearing on March 16 to 
address the advisability and possible methods of identifying and 
implementing compassionate allowances for both adults and children with 
autoimmune diseases. While the public is welcome to attend the hearing, 
only scheduled witnesses will present testimony. We plan to address 
other medical conditions at subsequent hearings.

DATES: This hearing will be held on March 16, 2011, between 8:30 a.m. 
and 5 p.m., Eastern Standard Time (EST), in Baltimore, Maryland. The 
hearing will be held at the Sheraton Baltimore City Center Hotel in the 
International Ballroom. The hotel's address is 101 West Fayette St., 
Baltimore, MD 21201-3703. You may also watch the proceedings live via 
Webcast beginning at 9 a.m., Eastern Standard Time (EST). You may 
access the Webcast line for the hearing on the Social Security 
Administration Web site at http://www.socialsecurity.gov/compassionateallowances/.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments about the compassionate 
allowances initiative with respect to adults and children with 
autoimmune diseases, as well as topics covered at the hearing by:
     E-mail addressed to [email protected]; or
     Mail to Jamillah Jackson, Deputy Director, Office of 
Compassionate Allowances and Disability Outreach, ODP, ORDP, Social 
Security Administration, 4671 Annex Building, 6401 Security Boulevard, 
Baltimore, Maryland 21235-6401. We welcome your comments, but we may 
not respond directly to comments sent in response to this notice of 
hearing.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: [email protected]. You 
may also mail inquiries about this hearing to Jamillah Jackson, Deputy 
Director, Office of Compassionate Allowances and Disability Outreach, 
ODP, ORDP, Social Security Administration, 4671 Annex Building, 6401 
Security Boulevard, Baltimore, Maryland 21235-6401. For information on 
eligibility or filing for benefits, call our national toll-free number 
1-800-772-1213 or TTY 1-800-325-0778, or visit Social Security online, 
at http://www.socialsecurity.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

[[Page 13112]]

Background

    Under the disability programs in titles II and XVI of the Act, we 
pay benefits to individuals who meet our rules for entitlement and have 
medically determinable physical or mental impairments that are severe 
enough to meet the statutory definition of disability. The rules for 
determining disability can be very complicated, but some individuals 
have such serious medical conditions that their conditions obviously 
meet our disability standards with minimal objective medical evidence 
alone. To better address the needs of these individuals, we are looking 
into ways to allow benefits as quickly as possible based on minimal 
objective medical information.

Will we respond to your comments?

    We will carefully consider your comments, although we will not 
respond directly to comments sent in response to this notice or the 
hearing.

Additional Hearings

    You may access the transcripts of our prior hearings at http://www.socialsecurity.gov/compassionateallowances/. We plan to hold 
additional hearings on other conditions and will announce those 
hearings with notices in the Federal Register.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Programs Nos. 96.001, Social 
Security--Disability Insurance; 96.006, Supplemental Security 
Income.)

    Dated: March 3, 2011.
Michael J. Astrue,
Commissioner of Social Security.
[FR Doc. 2011-5464 Filed 3-9-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4191-02-P