Compassionate Allowances (CAL)

Compassionate Allowances (CAL) is an SSA initiative that fast-tracks claims involving conditions so serious that they clearly meet the disability standard. The published list includes more than 280 conditions, such as ALS, pancreatic cancer, acute leukemia, and certain rare pediatric disorders, and SSA adds conditions periodically.

Claims are flagged for CAL automatically through software that screens the conditions listed on the application, so using precise diagnostic language matters. A flagged claim receives priority handling and can be medically approved in weeks rather than months, though the claimant must still meet the non-medical requirements for SSDI or SSI, and payment timing rules such as the SSDI five-month waiting period still apply. There is no separate form to request CAL treatment.