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14 conditions added to Social Security’s disability fast-track list
Bailey AllenUSA TODAY NETWORK – New England
Aug. 12, 2026, 11:58 a.m. ET
The Social Security Administration has added 14 new medical conditions to its list of those eligible for fast-tracked disability benefits
The SSA’s Compassionate Allowances List (CAL) covers conditions expected to affect a person’s ability to work for at least a year or result in death. The program is designed to reduce the time it takes to reach a disability determination for these patients
“The Compassionate Allowances initiative cuts through red tape and allows us to deliver support to individuals who experience life-changing diagnoses and need help fast,” SSA Commissioner Frank J. Bisignano said in a statement
With the addition of the 14 conditions, 314 in total are now eligible for fast-tracked benefits, the SSA announced Aug. 11
Since the CAL program began in 2008, more than 1.2 million people with severe disabilities have been approved through the fast-track process, the agency said
Here’s what to know about the new eligible conditions
Which 14 conditions were added to SSA’s fast-track list?
The following 14 conditions were added to the Social Security Administration’s Compassionate Allowances fast-track list this week, bringing the total to 314:
- 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
Which other conditions qualify for SSA’s fast-track list?
There are now 314 conditions that may qualify someone for Compassionate Allowances, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), certain instances of breast cancer, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), gallbladder cancer, and malignant multiple sclerosis, the SSA said
Other conditions include esophageal cancer, Lewy body dementia, infantile Tay-Sachs disease, osteosarcoma, young-onset Alzheimer’s disease, and pancreatic cancer
The full list of 314 qualifying conditions is available on the Social Security Administration’s website
How to apply for disability benefits through SSA
People can apply for disability benefits online through the Disability Benefit Application and fill out the required medical release form, according to the SSA
Applicants can also apply by phone at 1-800-772-1213, Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Those who are deaf or hard of hearing can call TTY 1-800-325-0778. Additionally, people can apply for benefits in person at a local Social Security office
Those with certain disabilities may qualify for the Compassionate Allowances program. The SSA reviews medical records and uses technology to flag applications that may qualify, helping to “speed up” the determination process, the agency said
Melina Khan of USA TODAY contributed to this report
