The Social Security Administration has expanded its Compassionate Allowances list, adding 13 new conditions to speed up disability benefits processing for seriously ill applicants.
The updated list now covers 300 serious diseases and conditions that qualify applicants for an expedited review under the agency’s Compassionate Allowances program, known as CAL.
People applying for Social Security Disability Insurance or Supplemental Security Income with a listed condition can have their claims processed significantly faster than standard applicants.
SSA Commissioner Frank Bisignano said, “We are constantly looking for ways to improve our disability programs and serve the public more effectively.”
Since the program launched in 2008, more than 1.1 million people with severe disabilities have been approved through the expedited process, according to the agency.
The 13 newly added conditions include Au-Kline Syndrome, Bilateral Anophthalmia, Carey-Fineman-Ziter Syndrome, Harlequin Ichthyosis, and Rasmussen Encephalitis, among others.
Additional conditions added to the list include Progressive Muscular Atrophy, Pulmonary Amyloidosis, Thymic Carcinoma, Turnpenny-Fry Syndrome, and WHO Grade III Meningiomas.
The Compassionate Allowances program functions as an express lane for disability claims, moving qualifying applicants to the front of the processing queue because their conditions clearly meet SSA’s definition of disability.
CAL applications typically take between 10 and 20 days to process, depending on available medical evidence, compared to three to five months or more for standard disability claims.
To process any disability claim, the SSA collects medical records and uses technology to identify potential CAL conditions, allowing the agency to fast-track the most severe cases automatically.
The expansion reflects the agency’s ongoing effort to reduce wait times and administrative burden for Americans living with serious or life-threatening medical conditions.
Applicants who believe their condition may qualify are encouraged to submit thorough medical documentation at the time of filing to ensure the fastest possible determination from the agency.
