13 Conditions Added to SSA’s CAL
Earlier this month, the Social Security Administration (SSA) expanded its Compassionate Allowances list by adding 13 new conditions to expedite disability benefits for individuals living with some of the most severe and immediately disabling health conditions.
In a press release on the SSA website, SSA Commissioner Frank J. Bisignano said, “By adding these 13 conditions to the Compassionate Allowances list, we are helping more people with devastating diagnoses to quickly receive the support they need.”
Social Security’s Compassionate Allowances Initiative
The Compassionate Allowances (CAL) initiative is designed to fast-track applications for Social Security benefits, such as Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI), for individuals who are unable to work due to medical conditions that clearly meet SSA’s standards for disability benefits.
Qualifying conditions typically involve severe, life-threatening, or profoundly disabling diagnoses, often with a high probability that the impairment will last at least 12 months or result in death.
The 13 Newly Added Conditions
By adding the following 13 conditions, the SSA brings the total number of conditions on its CAL list to 300:
Au-Kline Syndrome
Bilateral Anophthalmia
Carey-Fineman-Ziter Syndrome
Harlequin Ichthyosis – Child
Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation
LMNA-related Congenital Muscular Dystrophy
Progressive Muscular Atrophy
Pulmonary Amyloidosis – AL Type
Rasmussen Encephalitis
Thymic Carcinoma
Turnpenny-Fry Syndrome
WHO Grade III Meningiomas
Zhu-Tokita-Takenouchi-Kim Syndrome
Benefits of the CAL Initiative
Since the inception of the CAL initiative, over 1.1 million people with severe disabilities have been approved through this accelerated disability process. Standard disability decisions can take over six months for initial determinations. CAL-qualifying applicants, however, often receive a decision within weeks. By leveraging technology, the SSA can more quickly identify potential CAL conditions when applicants submit their medical records with their applications.
What the CAL List Means in Practice
If your condition is on the CAL list, your disability application may be marked for expedited processing. This can mean receiving approval and financial support weeks or even months sooner than with the traditional processing timeline. The streamlined CAL process reduces the burden of prolonged medical documentation reviews, easing the strain on severely ill applicants and their families.
How to Apply Through the CAL Initiative
If you or a loved one have one of the 300 conditions on the CAL list, apply for Social Security benefits on the SSA website. You can submit medical records electronically, but you may also want to contact your local SSA office to ensure the CAL designation is applied to your application.
By recognizing 13 additional conditions, the SSA makes it possible for more people to access timely support when they need it most. For applicants, caregivers, and advocates, the CAL initiative remains a vital lifeline by cutting through red tape to deliver prompt, policy-compliant benefit decisions.
