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By Aliss Higham
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Americans living with 14 serious medical conditions could now have their Social Security disability claims processed more quickly after the agency expanded a program designed to fast-track applications from people with severe illnesses and disorders.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) announced on August 11 that conditions including rare genetic disorders, aggressive cancers and severe forms of epilepsy have been added to its Compassionate Allowances list. The program allows the agency to quickly identify applicants whose medical conditions clearly meet its standards for disability benefits, reducing the time needed to reach a decision.
The latest expansion brings the Compassionate Allowances list to 314 conditions. Since the initiative was established, more than 1.2 million people with severe disabilities have been approved through the accelerated process, according to the SSA.
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“Social Security is strengthening our disability programs and making the disability determination process better, faster, and higher-quality to serve the American public,” SSA Commissioner Frank J. Bisignano said in a statement. “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.”
Which Conditions Have Been Added?
The 14 newly added conditions are all rare and serious illnesses or disorders, many of which begin in infancy or childhood and can cause severe developmental, neurological or physical impairment.
Several are inherited genetic conditions linked to seizures, intellectual disability or abnormal brain development, while others are aggressive and uncommon cancers, including forms affecting the heart, brain, eye, liver and spleen. Many can be life-limiting, require intensive medical care and significantly restrict a person’s ability to function independently.
The 14 newly added conditions are:
- Adenylosuccinate Lyase Deficiency – Neonatal Form and Type 1: An inherited condition that affects brain development and can cause severe seizures and developmental problems from infancy.
- Aicardi Syndrome: A condition, mostly affecting girls, that causes seizures and problems with development of the brain and eyes.
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- Baraitser-Winter Syndrome: A genetic disorder that affects brain development and can cause learning difficulties and distinctive facial features.
- Beare-Stevenson Cutis Gyrata Syndrome: A genetic disorder that causes abnormal skull development, wrinkled skin and sometimes serious brain and breathing problems.
- Bohring-Opitz Syndrome: A genetic disorder that can cause severe developmental delays, feeding problems, seizures and distinctive physical features.
- CASK-Related Gene Disorders: A group of genetic conditions that affect brain development and can cause learning difficulties, seizures and movement problems.
- Hepatosplenic T-Cell Lymphoma: A fast-growing blood cancer that mainly affects the liver, spleen and bone marrow.
- Lafora Disease: A rare inherited brain disorder that usually begins in adolescence and causes worsening seizures, muscle jerks and loss of thinking and movement abilities.
- Malignant Migrating Partial Seizures of Infancy (MMPSI): A severe form of epilepsy beginning in infancy that causes frequent seizures and serious developmental problems.
- OPHN1 Syndrome: A genetic condition that affects brain development and can cause learning difficulties, delayed development and movement problems.
- Primary Cardiac Sarcoma: An extremely rare cancer that begins in the tissues of the heart.
- Primary Intracranial Malignant Melanoma: An extremely rare melanoma that begins inside the brain or central nervous system.
- Uveal Melanoma – with Metastases: A type of cancer that begins in the eye and has spread to other parts of the body, most often the liver.
- Warburg Micro Syndrome: An inherited disorder that affects the brain, eyes and nervous system and causes severe developmental problems.
Which Benefits Can The List Apply To?
They apply to disability claims under both Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), which provides monthly money to people who have a long-term illness or injury that stops them from working, and Supplemental Security Income (SSI), monthly cash payments to adults and children with limited income and resources who are disabled, blind, or aged 65 or older.
How Long Does Disability Application Take?
The process can take months. The SSA says an initial disability decision generally takes six to eight months, although the timeframe can vary considerably depending on the case and where the applicant lives.
Applicants can follow their case through their "my Social Security" account, which shows the status of applications and appeals.
The latest SSA figures show that the agency has cut its initial disability backlog by more than 30 percent from a peak of nearly 1.3 million pending cases in 2024 to about 853,000. SSA also said on August 11 that initial disability decisions, for both SSI and SSDI, in July 2026 were being issued 34 days faster than in July 2025.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: John Fitzpatrick and Gray R. Thomas
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