According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 1.5 million Americans have rheumatoid arthritis [RA]. RA is an autoimmune disease. The body's immune system attacks the synovial tissue between the joints, mistaking it for foreign invaders like bacteria and viruses. In addition to joint damage the systemic variation of the disease can impact the eyes, heart, and lungs of those whom suffer from this disease.
Every year, the Social Security Administration holds hearings to add illnesses to its Compassionate Allowance List (CAL). We urge the White House to require the SSA to convene a hearing to add RA to this list in order to expedite the approval of benefits for patients living with these chronic, incurable, and debilitating autoimmune disease.