Social Security adds more than 10 conditions to its expedited benefits list

The Social Security Administration (SSA) has added more than 10 new conditions to its Compassionate Allowances (CAL) list.

The purpose of CAL is to help expedite the processing of disability claims for people with the most serious diseases and medical conditions who meet the administration’s statutory standard for disability benefits.

According to a statement from the SSA, the CAL list now has 300 conditions after adding these 13 conditions:

• 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

“We are constantly looking for ways to improve our disability programs and serve the public more effectively,” SSA Commissioner Frank J. Bisignano said in the statement. “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.”

Since the CAL initiative began in 2008, more than 1.1 million people with severe disabilities have been approved, the statement reports.

In order for a person to apply for disability benefits, the SSA needs to obtain medical records to make an accurate determination. The agency then uses its technology to identify potential CAL conditions and expedite claims processing.

More information about the initiative, including a list of all CAL conditions, can be found here.