The Social Security Administration (SSA) provides expedited processing for medical conditions that are listed in the "Compassionate Allowances List" (CAL). CAL cases don't involve any special criteria for qualifying for disability benefits. Rather, Compassionate Allowance cases are those involving such severe impairments that the case would always match one of Social Security's disability listings.
You don't apply for a Compassionate Allowance specifically. Social Security reviews all disability applications to see which ones qualify as compassionate allowances. Compassionate Allowance cases are selected for fast processing based solely on the allegations of the disability claimant (applicant) or of a parent of a child claimant. If the allegations fit the SSA's predictive model that the claim will be able to be approved with minimal objective information (such as a positive biopsy for esophageal cancer), the case is put on a fast track for a decision. It can help to note on the top of your application "Compassionate Allowance claim" -- unless you're applying online.
Compassionate Allowances (CAL) apply to both SSDI and SSI claims. Because minimal objective information is required--proof of the medical condition is sufficient to assume disability--these cases can be allowed (approved) in much less time.
The information that Disability Determination Services (DDS, a state agency that makes disability determinations for the SSA) must have is truly nominal—just enough information to establish the correct diagnosis. However, hospitals or treating doctors may take weeks or months to respond to a DDS request for medical records. Therefore, you can speed up the processing of your claim by submitting basic medical information along with your application or sending it to the examiner yourself.
The type of medical information you need to submit depends on the nature of your condition. Most CAL cases involve cancer. If you have leukemia or another form of cancer, the most important thing is the biopsy report. Along with a hospital discharge summary or letter from your doctor, that would be sufficient evidence to get a disability approval through the CAL program (if your type and stage of cancer is on the list of CAL conditions).
Unlike many claims, Compassionate Allowance cases are decided within a matter of days rather than months. That is the "compassion" component of the Compassionate Allowances program: the SSA gives them priority. In that sense, these cases are similar to Quick Disability Determination (QDD) cases. However, unlike a QDD claim, a medical consultant is needed to medically assess and sign a CAL case before approval or denial. In all other ways, CAL cases are like regular disability cases. For instance, the five-month waiting period for SSDI claims is not waived by having a compassionate allowance. The waiting period is established by federal law and cannot be reversed by SSA's compassionate allowance initiative.
The Social Security Administration also has a program for terminal illnesses that provides for quick disability decisions. Learn more about the terminal illness program (TERI).
Quick Disability Determination is an automated method that Social Security uses to identify and process claims for obvious disabilities. Learn more about Quick Disability Determinations.
Another program, the presumptive disability program, doesn't speed up the decision, but does pay benefits while your claim is being decided. This program is available for SSI only. Learn more about the presumptive disability program.
Here is a complete list of CAL impairments:
Acute Leukemia | Liver Cancer |
Adrenal Cancer - with distant metastases or inoperable, unresectable or recurrent | Lowe Syndrome |
Adult Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma | Lymphomatoid Granulomatosis - Grade III |
Adult Onset Huntington Disease | Malignant Brain Stem Gliomas – Childhood |
Aicardi-Goutieres Syndrome | Malignant Ectomesenchymoma |
Alexander Disease (ALX) - Neonatal and Infantile | Malignant Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor |
Allan-Herndon-Dudley Syndrome | Malignant Germ Cell Tumor |
Alobar Holoprosencephaly | Malignant Melanoma - with metastases |
Alpers Disease | Malignant Multiple Sclerosis |
Alpha Mannosidosis - Type II and III | Malignant Renal Rhabdoid Tumor |
Alstrom Syndrome | Mantle Cell Lymphoma (MCL) |
Alveolar Soft Part Sarcoma | Maple Syrup Urine Disease |
Amegakaryocytic Thrombocytopenia | Marshall-Smith Syndrome |
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) | Mastocytosis - Type IV |
Anaplastic Adrenal Cancer - with distant metastases or inoperable, unresectable or recurrent | MECP2 Duplication Syndrome |
Angelman Syndrome | Medulloblastoma - with metastases |
Angiosarcoma | Menkes Disease - Classic or Infantile Onset Form |
Aortic Atresia | Merkel Cell Carcinoma - with metastases |
Aplastic Anemia | Merosin Deficient Congenital Muscular Dystrophy |
Astrocytoma - Grade III and IV | Metachromatic Leukodystrophy (MLD) - Late Infantile |
Ataxia Telangiectasia | Mitral Valve Atresia |
Atypical Teratoid/Rhabdoid Tumor | Mixed Dementias |
Batten Disease | MPS I, formerly known as Hurler Syndrome |
Beta Thalassemia Major | MPS II, formerly known as Hunter Syndrome |
Bilateral Optic Atrophy- Infantile | MPS III, formerly known as Sanfilippo Syndrome |
Bilateral Retinoblastoma | Mucosal Malignant Melanoma |
Bladder Cancer - with distant metastases or inoperable or unresectable | Multicentric Castleman Disease |
Breast Cancer - with distant metastases or inoperable or unresectable | Multiple System Atrophy |
Canavan Disease (CD) | Myoclonic Epilepsy with Ragged Red Fibers Syndrome |
Carcinoma of Unknown Primary Site | Neonatal Adrenoleukodystrophy |
Caudal Regression Syndrome - Types III and IV | Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis |
Cerebro Oculo Facio Skeletal (COFS) Syndrome | Neurodegeneration with Brain Iron Accumulation - Types 1 and 2 |
Cerebrotendinous Xanthomatosis | NFU-1 Mitochondrial Disease |
Child Neuroblastoma - with distant metastases or recurrent | Niemann-Pick Disease (NPD) - Type A |
Child Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma - recurrent | Niemann-Pick Disease-Type C |
Child T-Cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma | Nonketotic Hyperglycinemia |
Chondrosarcoma - with multimodal therapy | Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer - with metastases to the hilar nodes or inoperable, unresectable or recurrent |
Chronic Idiopathic Intestinal Pseudo Obstruction | Obliterative Bronchiolitis |
Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML) - Blast Phase | Ohtahara Syndrome |
Coffin-Lowry Syndrome | Oligodendroglioma Brain Tumor - Grade III |
Congenital Lymphedema | Ornithine Transcarbamylase (OTC) Deficiency |
Cornelia de Lange Syndrome | Orthochromatic Leukodystrophy with Pigmented Glia |
Corticobasal Degeneration | Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) - Type II |
Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) – Adult | Osteosarcoma, formerly known as Bone Cancer - with distant metastases or inoperable or unresectable |
Cri du Chat Syndrome | Ovarian Cancer – with distant metastases or inoperable or unresectable |
Degos Disease - Systemic | Pancreatic Cancer |
DeSanctis Cacchione Syndrome | Pallister-Killian Syndrome |
Dravet Syndrome | Paraneoplastic Pemphigus |
Early-Onset Alzheimer's Disease | Patau Syndrome (Trisomy 13) |
Edwards Syndrome (Trisomy 18) | Pearson Syndrome |
Eisenmenger Syndrome | Pelizaeus-Merzbacher Disease-Classic Form |
Endometrial Stromal Sarcoma | Pelizaeus-Merzbacher Disease-Connatal Form |
Endomyocardial Fibrosis | Peripheral Nerve Cancer - metastatic or recurrent |
Ependymoblastoma (Child Brain Tumor) | Peritoneal Mesothelioma |
Erdheim Chester Disease | Peritoneal Mucinous Carcinomatosis |
Esophageal Cancer | Perry Syndrome |
Esthesioneuroblastoma | Phelan-McDermid Syndrome |
Ewing Sarcoma | Pleural Mesothelioma |
Farber's Disease (FD) – Infantile | Pompe Disease – Infantile |
Fatal Familial Insomnia | Primary Cardiac Amyloidosis |
Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva | Primary Central Nervous System Lymphoma |
Follicular Dendritic Cell Sarcoma - metastatic or recurrent | Primary Effusion Lymphoma |
Friedreichs Ataxia (FRDA) | Primary Progressive Aphasia |
Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD), Picks Disease -Type A – Adult | Progressive Bulbar Palsy |
Fryns Syndrome | Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy |
Fucosidosis - Type 1 | Progressive Supranuclear Palsy |
Fukuyama Congenital Muscular Dystrophy | Prostate Cancer - Hormone Refractory Disease – or with visceral metastases |
Fulminant Giant Cell Myocarditis | Pulmonary Atresia |
Galactosialidosis - Early and Late Infantile Types | Pulmonary Kaposi Sarcoma |
Gallbladder Cancer | Retinopathy of Prematurity - Stage V |
Gaucher Disease (GD) - Type 2 | Rett (RTT) Syndrome |
Giant Axonal Neuropathy | Revesz Syndrome |
Glioblastoma Multiforme (Adult Brain Tumor) | Rhabdomyosarcoma |
Glioma Grade III and IV | Rhizomelic Chondrodysplasia Punctata |
Glutaric Acidemia - Type II | Roberts Syndrome |
Head and Neck Cancers - with distant metastasis or inoperable or unresectable | Salivary Tumors |
Heart Transplant Graft Failure | Sandhoff Disease |
Heart Transplant Wait List - 1A/1B | Schindler Disease - Type 1 |
Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) - Familial Type | Seckel Syndrome |
Hepatoblastoma | Severe Combined Immunodeficiency - Childhood |
Hepatopulmonary Syndrome | Single Ventricle |
Hepatorenal Syndrome | Sjogren-Larsson Syndrome |
Histiocytosis Syndromes | Sinonasal Cancer |
Hoyeaal-Hreidarsson Syndrome | Small Cell Cancer (of the Large Intestine, Ovary, Prostate, Thymus, or Uterus) |
Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome | Small Cell Lung Cancer |
Hydranencephaly | Small Intestine Cancer - with distant metastases or inoperable, unresectable or recurrent |
Hypocomplementemic Urticarial Vasculitis Syndrome | Smith Lemli Opitz Syndrome |
Hypophosphatasia Perinatal (Lethal) and Infantile Onset Types | Soft Tissue Sarcoma - with distant metastases or recurrent |
Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome | Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) - Types 0 and 1 |
I Cell Disease | Spinal Nerve Root Cancer-metastatic or recurrent |
Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis | Spinocerebellar Ataxia |
Intracranial Hemangiopericytoma | Stiff Person Syndrome |
Infantile Free Sialic Acid Storage Disease | Stomach Cancer - with distant metastases or inoperable, unresectable or recurrent |
Infantile Neuroaxonal Dystrophy (INAD) | Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis |
Infantile Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinoses | Tabes Dorsalis |
Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC) | Tay Sachs Disease - Infantile Type |
Jervell and Lange-Nielsen Syndrome | Thanatophoric Dysplasia - Type 1 |
Joubert Syndrome | The ALS/Parkinsonism Dementia Complex |
Junctional Epidermolysis Bullosa - Lethal Type | Thyroid Cancer |
Juvenile Onset Huntington Disease | Transplant Coronary Artery Vasculopathy |
Kidney Cancer - inoperable or unresectable | Tricuspid Atresia |
Krabbe Disease (KD) – Infantile | Ullrich Congenital Muscular Dystrophy |
Kufs Disease - Type A and B | Ureter Cancer - with distant metastases or inoperable, unresectable or recurrent |
Large Intestine Cancer - with distant metastasis or inoperable, unresectable or recurrent | Usher Syndrome - Type I |
Late Infantile Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinoses | Ventricular Assist Device Recipient - Left, Right, or Biventricular |
Leigh's Disease | Walker Warburg Syndrome |
Leiomyosarcoma | Wolf-Hirschhorn Syndrome |
Leptomeningeal Carcinomatosis | Wolman Disease |
Lesch-Nyhan Syndrome (LNS) | X-Linked Lymphoproliferative Disease |
Lewy Body Dementia | X-Linked Myotubular Myopathy |
Liposarcoma - metastatic or recurrent | Xeroderma Pigmentosum |
Lissencephaly | Zellweger Syndrome |
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