In August, SSA added five new conditions to the list of compassionate allowances (CAL) conditions, bringing the total number of CAL conditions to 233. The five new CAL conditions are:
- Fibrolamellar Cancer (POMS DI 23022.163)
- Megacystis Microcolon Intestinal Hypoperistalsis Syndrome (POMS DI 23022.233)
- Megalencephaly-Capillary Malformation Syndrome (POMS DI 23022.234)
- Superficial Siderosis of the Central Nervous System (POMS DI 23022.337)
- Tetrasomy 18p (POMS DI 23022.343).
The complete list of CAL conditions is available at https://www.ssa.gov/ compassionateallowances/.
SSA uses CAL conditions to quickly identify diseases and other medical conditions that, by definition, meet Social Security’s standards for disability benefits. The CAL initiative helps SSA reduce waiting times to reach a disability determination for individuals with the most serious disabilities. The Compassionate Allowances program identifies claims where the applicant’s disease or condition clearly meets Social Security’s statutory standard for disability. SSA uses the same rules to evaluate CAL conditions when evaluating both Social Secu- rity Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs.