The United States Social Security Administration (SSA) announced on Tuesday, August 11th, that 14 severe and rare diseases have been added to the “Compassionate Allowances” (CAL) list, providing a quicker review process for disabled individuals who meet the criteria for benefits.
According to the official SSA website, with the addition of these 14 diseases, the CAL list now covers a total of 314 diseases.
The SSA stated that the Compassionate Allowances list mainly includes some severe cancers, adult brain disorders, and rare diseases affecting children, with the aim of reducing the waiting time for individuals with severe disabilities.
The CAL list was introduced in 2008 to quickly identify cases of serious illness that meet the statutory criteria for disability benefits. To date, over 1.2 million people have been approved for disability benefits through the expedited process.
Under the current SSA procedures, when applying for disability benefits, the system will use technology to identify whether the applicant has any of the diseases on the CAL list. Once a qualifying condition is found, the case is marked as a CAL case and enters a fast-track processing procedure.
The SSA also obtains some electronic medical records through the Health IT program to assist reviewers in making faster decisions.
However, the SSA points out that having a disease on the CAL list does not automatically guarantee benefits for the applicant. The related applications still need to meet the disability standards specified in the Social Security regulations, and applicants must also meet the relevant eligibility requirements for benefits.
The 14 newly added diseases include:
– Adenylosuccinate Lyase deficiency – Neonatal Form and Type 1
– Aicardi syndrome
– Baraitser-Winter syndrome
– Beare-Stevenson cutis gyrata syndrome
– Bohring-Opitz syndrome
– CASK-related gene disorders
– Hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma
– Lafora disease
– Malignant Migrating Partial Seizures of Infancy (MMPSI)
– OPHN1 syndrome
– Primary cardiac sarcoma
– Primary intracranial malignant melanoma
– Uveal Melanoma – with metastases
– Warburg micro syndrome
If readers have family or friends who have unfortunately been diagnosed with any of the above diseases and are planning to apply for disability assistance, it is important to use the accurate medical names when submitting medical evidence. The complete list is available on the Social Security website for reference.