We Can Fast-Track Disability Decisions for People With Severe Conditions
Reading Time: 2 MinutesLast Updated: February 27, 2025
Rare Disease Day is an annual international campaign held on the last day of February to advocate for people living with one of approximately 6,000 rare diseases.
The goal of Rare Disease Day is to improve access to diagnosis, treatment, care, and opportunities for the 300 million people throughout the world with a rare disease.
What are Compassionate Allowances?
Our Compassionate Allowances help us fast-track medical decisions for people who apply for disability and have the most severe conditions. They include certain cancers, adult brain disorders, and rare diseases that affect children.
The Compassionate Allowances (CAL) program allows us to make quick and accurate determinations for adults and children with serious diseases and other disorders that meet our disability standards.
We’ve approved more than 1 million people since this accelerated disability process began in 2008.
How does the CAL program work?
When a person applies for disability, we must obtain and review evidence to make a medical determination. This process generally takes 6 to 8 months. By combining technology and electronic medical records, we’re able to identify applicants with certain conditions and make faster decisions. We can often medically approve an application as soon as we confirm the person’s diagnosis.
We continue to expand the CAL program, and our list of conditions has grown from the original 50 to 287. In August 2024, we added 9 new Compassionate Allowances. You can ask us to add a specific condition to our list. To learn more, check out Submit the Name of a Condition For Consideration.
If you or someone you know is considering applying for disability benefits or Supplemental Security Income (SSI), you can check eligibility online by answering a few questions. Visit our website to complete our adult application.
To make an appointment for yourself or a child, you can call 1-800-772-1213, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. To determine how long it may take to get a disability decision in your state, check out Apply for Social Security benefits.
We hope you’ll join us in observing Rare Disease Day. Please let others know about our Compassionate Allowances and share the information on social media.
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Tags: Disability, SSI, supplemental security income
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S. F.
My son had a stroke that paralyzed his left side on December 15, 2024. He cannot see out of his left eye, forget things, talks in riddles sometimes. Hurts all the time he says. He is in the nursing home since December 2023. Is in a wheelchair and can’t walk is he eligible for emergency or presumptive disability
ray b.
i am retired at 62 and am disabied from car accident august 19 2023 and am recieving retirement money and am getting child support taken out with mi two children over 20 years old and medicaide is not going after hospital bills any more,ssi is supposed to be protected, why am i being robbedn
Harriet M.
I am 76 and became disabled last year after Failed Laminectomy Syndrome. Cannot walk, sit and am always in unbearable pain. Am I eligible for Disability payments along with SSA?
Stan S.
No. Disability benefits are for people under full retirement age.
Kelly S.
My mother receives social security payments and is needing supplemental support as she is legally blind. Her medication to keep what very little vision she does have is now no longer fully covered by Medicare so we need to know: should she apply for SSI or Disability? We don’t understand the difference. Also, she can’t wait months to get approved, she has to have the treatment every 5 weeks. We need to know how to get this done asap.
S.S.
Hi Kelly. Thanks for reading our blog. We pay disability benefits through two programs: Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). SSI is a needs-based program that provides payments to adults and children with disabilities or blindness, and people 65 and older, who have limited income and resources. SSDI is based on a worker’s earnings, not need. To be found disabled, a person must be unable to work because of a physical or mental condition that is expected to last at least 1 year or to end in death. For more information, visit Apply for Social Security benefits. Or call us at 1-800-772-1213, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., to schedule an appointment. We hope this helps.
LEON G.
I am 50% disabled by VA standards. Am I able to get any additional income from the SSA?
S.S.
Hi, Leon. Thanks for reading our blog and for your questions. Earnings for active-duty military service or active-duty training have been covered under Social Security since 1957. Only people who receive a pension based on work not covered by Social Security – a “non-covered pension” – are affected by the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO). If you do not receive a non-covered pension, you will not receive a benefit increase due to the Social Security Fairness Act. For more information, read Military Service and Social Security. We hope this helps.
Aron M.
The Compassionate Allowances (CAL) program allows us to make quick and accurate determinations for adults and children with serious diseases and other disorders that meet our disability standards. source: Unshared News
Diana
I do not know any thing about extra money ! I am disabled and I do not work. I have no money already so I cannot believe anyone can take the money I earned years ago and let me get kicked out of my home.
It will be my death!!! How can you be so cruel! The money you take should be. Take the Money from the one who was a president who gave us something we knew about and were innocent! I cannot pay it back. I am weak and unable to live with poverty! Even now I get less than most people. Please do not take what I cannot live without. I am poor. And no family .
Premlata V.
Hi, there is lot of fraud going on. When people sponsor their aging family member and once in US, they receive their Medicare card and get the treatment done free of charge.
I remember when one sponsors a relative, they have to sign affidavit with immigration, at the time of interview in their homeland, one had to provide medical info, X-rays etc. Why immigration departments are not coordinating with Medicare nit to issue Medicare card to new immigrants unless they become citizens. If the new immigrants get treatment, the sponsor should be liable.
I write to SS/Meducare but no response.
vera l.
for your information, a pErson is required to go to medical exam to be approved to immigrate, isn’t that simple as they telling you. Don’t believe everything you hear, ask those with experience. A propaganda to create hate against others.
Erick A.
Me Too I have 34 or 5 of the same complaints
Joanna L.
PLEASE get back to me as soon as possible.
I can prove SSA employee fraud.
PLEASE help me.