Compassionate Allowance Program

The Compassionate Allowances (CAL) initiative within the Social Security Administration (SSA) is a way to expedite the processing of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) claims for applicants whose medical conditions are so severe that their conditions clearly meet Social Security’s definition of disability.

There is a list of conditions that the SSA developed from information received from the public, outreach to advocacy groups, comments received from the Social Security and Disability Determination Service communities, counsel from medical and scientific experts, research with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and information received from past public outreach hearings. SSA uses that information to consider which conditions are most likely to meet the definition of disability and adds those conditions to the Compassionate Allowances list.

SSA intends to update the CAL list annually with new conditions. Currently, some of the more common conditions that are included in the CAL list are: acute leukemia; bladder cancer; breast cancer; Trisomy 18; Early-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease; Ewing Sarcoma; Liver Cancer; Malignant Melanoma; and the ALS/Parkinsonism Dementia Complex.

However, just because you suffer from a condition listed on the CAL does not mean you will automatically be approved, as each listing on the list has its own set of requirements that must be met before benefits can be paid.

If you have one of the conditions on the CAL list, you may qualify for your Social Security claim to be fast-tracked. Claimants with a CAL condition can expect to have their claim sent to the determination board and have a determination made based on the minimal objective medical information. This allows SSA to target those who are obviously disabled and quickly get medical evidence to confirm the existence of the condition and the limitations the condition causes.

We encourage you to listen to your doctors, follow their orders, and consult an attorney as to whether you would qualify for Social Security benefits because of your condition.