Some of the most common Social Security questions I get are about Compassionate Allowances (CAL). Clients want to know what they are, how they work, and what disabilities qualify as CAL conditions.
Their desire to know is completely understandable, because CAL conditions are processed much more quickly than regular Social Security Disability claims. That means you get your benefits a lot faster!
The most basic way to describe CAL conditions is that they are impairments that are clearly covered as disabilities without the Social Security Administration needing lots of medical documentation that it can take a long time to get. Rather than make these severely disabled people wait for their benefits, the CAL process lets them get approval fast. Every year, about 150,000 people have their claims processed as “rush jobs” through either CAL or the Quick Disability Determination (QDD) process, which is very similar.
How Are CAL Conditions Decided?
There’s no one way that Social Security decides on what constitutes a CAL condition. They compare conditions against their definition of disability to see if they fit, listen to the advice of experts from medical and scientific fields, use research from the National Institutes of Health, pay attention to what Social Security Disability workers say, and utilize information from public outreach hearings.
If a condition seems to fit established criteria or be causing significant problems, the SSA will then add it to their list of CAL conditions. As of December 6, 2012, there were 200 conditions on that list.
For a free legal consultation, call 800-562-9830
New CAL Additions
People who want to take a look at the full list of 200 CAL conditions can head here. Below you’ll find the newest additions to the list.
Adult Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
Adult Onset Huntington Disease
Allan-Herndon-Dudley Syndrome
Alveolar Soft Part Sarcoma
Aplastic Anemia
Beta Thalassemia Major
Bilateral Optic Atrophy- Infantile
Caudal Regression Syndrome – Types III and IV
Child T-Cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma
Congenital Lymphedema
DeSanctis Cacchione Syndrome
Dravet Syndrome
Endometrial Stromal Sarcoma
Erdheim Chester Disease
Fatal Familial Insomnia
Fryns Syndrome
Fulminant Giant Cell Myocarditis
Hepatopulmonary Syndrome
Hepatorenal Syndrome
Jervell and Lange-Nielsen Syndrome
Leiomyosarcoma
Malignant Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor
Malignant Germ Cell Tumor
MECP2 Duplication Syndrome
Menkes Disease – Classic or Infantile Onset Form
NFU-1 Mitochondrial Disease
Nonketotic Hyperglycinemia
Peritoneal Mucinous Carcinomatosis
Phelan-McDermid Syndrome
Retinopathy of Prematurity – Stage V
Roberts Syndrome
Severe Combined Immunodeficiency – Childhood
Sinonasal Cancer
Transplant Coronary Artery Vasculopathy
Usher Syndrome – Type I
For further information on CAL conditions, contact an experienced Texas Social Security Disability attorney for a free consultation when you are ready to get all your questions answered. To find out more information on what you can do for your Social Security claim please download a copy of our free E-book, The Social Security Disability Puzzle.
Call or text 800-562-9830 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
