Social Security Accelerates Access for Individuals with Severe Disabilities

If you or someone you care about is living with a serious medical condition, you understand how crucial it is to receive timely support. The Social Security Administration (SSA) recently added 14 conditions to its Compassionate Allowances (CAL) list, which will enable faster access to disability benefits for more people.

What’s the Compassionate Allowances List?

The CAL list is our way of fast-tracking help for people with the most severe health problems. If your condition is on this list, it’s serious enough to qualify for disability benefits and your application is moved to the front of the line.

What’s Changed?

We added these 14 conditions to the CAL list:

• Adenylosuccinate Lyase Deficiency – Neonatal Form and Type 1
• Aicardi Syndrome
• Baraitser-Winter Syndrome
• Beare-Stevenson Cutis Gyrata Syndrome
• Bohring-Opitz Syndrome
• CASK-Related Gene Disorders
• Hepatosplenic T-Cell Lymphoma
• Lafora Disease
• Malignant Migrating Partial Seizures of Infancy (MMPSI)
• OPHN1 Syndrome
• Primary Cardiac Sarcoma
• Primary Intracranial Malignant Melanoma
• Uveal Melanoma – with Metastases
• Warburg Micro Syndrome

With these additions, there are now 314 conditions on the list. That means more people than ever can get the help they need, without waiting months or even years for a decision.

Why Does This Matter?

Waiting for disability benefits can be stressful, especially when you’re dealing with a life-changing diagnosis. The CAL initiative is designed to cut through red tape for individuals who need help fast. Since the initiative started, over 1.2 million people have been approved through this accelerated disability process.

How Does It Work?

When you apply for disability benefits, we will review your medical records to see if you qualify. If your condition is on the CAL list, we use technology to flag your application and speed things up. In some cases, we can even get your medical records electronically, which makes the process even faster.

For the full list of CAL conditions, visit: ssa.gov/compassionateallowances.

To start your application for disability benefits, visit: ssa.gov/apply.