NORTH CAROLINA — The Social Security Administration (SSA) announced today the expansion of its Compassionate Allowances (CAL) program, adding 13 new severe medical conditions to expedite disability benefit approvals for patients facing the most devastating diagnoses.
The CAL initiative fast-tracks the disability application process for individuals with serious diseases and medical conditions that automatically meet Social Security’s statutory standards for disability benefits, eliminating lengthy review periods for qualifying applicants.
New Conditions Added to Accelerated Review Process
The 13 newly added conditions include rare and severe medical diagnoses:
- 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
Program Reaches Major Milestone
With these additions, the CAL list now encompasses 300 qualifying conditions. Since the program’s inception, more than 1.1 million people with severe disabilities have received approval through this accelerated, policy-compliant process.
“We are constantly looking for ways to improve our disability programs and serve the public more effectively,” said SSA Commissioner Frank J. Bisignano. “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. This is part of our broader commitment to making the disability determination process as responsive and compassionate as possible.”
Technology Enhances Processing Speed
The Social Security Administration employs advanced technology to identify potential CAL conditions and expedite claims processing. When applicants file for disability benefits, the agency must obtain comprehensive medical records to make accurate determinations.
Through the Health IT program, Social Security can securely receive electronic medical records in select cases, enabling adjudicators to render faster and more accurate decisions on benefit applications.
Resources and Application Information
Individuals seeking more information about the Compassionate Allowances initiative, including the complete list of qualifying conditions, can visit www.ssa.gov/compassionateallowances.
Additional details about Social Security’s Health IT program are available at www.ssa.gov/hit.
Eligible individuals may apply online for disability benefits at www.ssa.gov.
