Press Release (En español)
For Immediate Release
press.office@ssa.gov
Social Security Adds 13 Conditions to Compassionate Allowances List
Expedites Decisions for People with Severe Disabilities
The Social Security Administration (SSA) today announced the addition of 13 new conditions to the agency’s Compassionate Allowances (CAL) list. The CAL initiative accelerates the disability application process for individuals with the most serious diseases and medical conditions that, by definition, meet Social Security's statutory standard for disability benefits.
The newly added conditions are:
- 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
With the inclusion of these 13 conditions, the CAL list now includes 300 conditions in total. Since the CAL initiative began, over 1.1 million people with severe disabilities have been approved through this accelerated disability process that is fully policy-compliant.
“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.”
When a person applies for disability benefits, Social Security must obtain medical records to make an accurate determination. The agency uses advanced technology to identify potential CAL conditions and expedite claims processing. Although not available in every claim, through the Health IT program, Social Security securely receives electronic medical records, allowing for adjudicators to make faster and more accurate decisions.
For more information about the initiative, including a list of all CAL conditions, please visit www.ssa.gov/compassionateallowances.
To learn more about Social Security's Health IT program, please visit www.ssa.gov/hit.
People may apply online for disability benefits by visiting www.ssa.gov.
For more Social Security news, follow the agency on X @SocialSecurity.