On August 11, 2025, the Social Security Administration (SSA) announced important news for those applying for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). Thirteen new diseases were added to the Compassionate Allowances (CAL) program, designed to speed up the approval of severe disability applications. This will allow more people to receive financial support without having to wait long months of bureaucracy.
What is the Compassionate Allowances (CAL) program?
The CAL program was created in 2008 with a clear goal: to make disability access easier for those with obvious and severe diagnoses. Normally, SSDI applications involve multiple medical reviews and lengthy processes. CAL allows certain cases to be evaluated with priority, eliminating unnecessary delays.
The logic is simple: if a disease is on the list, SSA recognizes that the condition is serious enough and well documented. This means applicants won't have to go through the full process, speeding up approval and offering faster financial support.
The 13 diseases that now qualify
With the recent update, these are the conditions that will receive expedited treatment in the SSDI process:
- Au-Kline syndrome
- Bilateral anophthalmia
- Carey-Fineman-Ziter syndrome
- Harlequin ichthyosis (child)
- Hematopoietic stem cell transplant
- LMNA-related congenital muscular dystrophy
- Progressive muscular atrophy
- AL-type pulmonary amyloidosis
- Rasmussen encephalitis
- Thymic carcinoma
- Turnpenny-Fry syndrome
- WHO grade III meningiomas
- Zhu-Tokita-Takenouchi-Kim syndrome
Those suffering from any of these diseases must attach an up-to-date medical report when submitting the application. This will allow SSA to prioritize the case and speed up approval, avoiding the prolonged wait that usually accompanies other disability procedures.
Benefits of the update
This change has a direct impact on applicants' quality of life. Receiving the benefit faster means having immediate financial support, which is essential to cover medical expenses and basic needs.
In addition, for SSA, prioritizing these cases reduces the bureaucratic burden, allowing resources to be focused on more complex applications. Since its implementation, more than 1.1 million applications have benefited from the CAL program, proving the effectiveness of this measure.
What to do if you have any of these diseases
If you or a family member meet any of the diagnoses included in the list, it is recommended to:
- Obtain a complete and up-to-date medical report.
- Submit the SSDI application as soon as possible.
- Make sure all documentation clearly supports the disease.
This change not only speeds up the process, but also offers peace of mind and security to those facing complex medical situations. The update to the CAL program reflects Social Security's commitment to making disability benefits more accessible and providing support where it is most needed.