Advocacy programs bring people together to help improve the quality of life for people impacted by ALS. Through the power of bringing people together for a common cause, you can help support public policy changes at the local, state and federal levels.

Veterans Benefits

In late September, 2008 the Veterans Administration published regulations officially establishing ALS as a service connected disease.  Effective immediately, all veterans with ALS will now have access to the highest level of VA benefits without having to prove that their disease was caused by service in the military. This new policy means that ALL veterans with ALS will receive the benefits they need, deserve and have earned. Importantly, it is broad in scope and applies to all veterans diagnosed with ALS regardless of when or where they served and regardless of when they were diagnosed with the disease following service in the military. To learn the full scope of the policy, please visit the Veterans Administration's web site by clicking here.

Social Security Admin Expedites ALS Filings

The Socials Security Administration (SSA) has implemented a new initiative to speed up disability applications for people with ALS. The initiative, named Compassionate Allowances, includes ALS on a list of conditions automatically qualified for expedited reviews. When fully implemented, the SSA estimates Compassionate Allowances will shorten review times to an average of just six to eight days.

For more information on ALS advocacy, contact Wendy Abrams, Executive Director, at  wabrams@lesturnerals.org   or (847) 745-6011.