The Social Security Administration (SSA) recently added five new impairments to their Compassionate Allowances list (CAL). The CAL list helps the SSA quickly identify very serious diseases and fast track those applicants’ claims. Fast-tracked Social Security disability claims can get reviewed and approved in as little as 19 days (on average). This is a huge advantage, since the average 2016 processing time for SSD claims was 85.6 days. If your doctor diagnoses you with any impairment listed below, then the SSA automatically flags your claim to fast track for approval!
5 New CAL List Conditions That Can Fast Track Disability Claims
New Fast Track Impairment #1: Fibrolamellar Cancer
This ultra-rare liver cancer affects only 1 in 5,000,000 people. That means doctors diagnose fewer than 1,000 cases annually. Fibrolamellar cancer generally affects adolescents and young adults with no prior liver disease history. Symptoms can include:
- Abdominal, shoulder or back pain
- Weight loss
- Jaundice
Fibrolamellar patients occasionally have a palpable mass, which doctors can remove. Your liver’s the only organ that can regenerate itself to full size in 3-6 months, so this isn’t unusual.
New Fast Track Impairment #2: Megacystis-Microcolon-Intestinal Hypoperistalsis Syndrome (MMIHS)
This severe disorder (also known as Berdon syndrome) primarily affects the muscles lining your bladder and intestines. MMIHS most affects the muscles that move food through your digestive tract and empty your bladder. It leads to digestive problems such as intestinal pseudo-obstruction, which mimics a physical blockage in your intestines. This rare condition often leads to other digestive issues, including:
- Abdominal distention
- Pain, nausea and vomiting
- Malnutrition
- Sepsis
Most MMIHS patients require surgery to fix these ongoing health issues and avoid organ failure.
New Fast Track Impairment #3: Megalencephaly-Capillary Malformation Syndrome (MCAP)
This disorder occurs when several tissues in your body experience overgrowth. Most MCAP patients have an exceptionally large brain, but abnormal capillaries (small blood vessels). This abnormal brain development usually leads to serious complications, including:
- Intellectual disability
- Seizures
- Speech delays
- Difficulty chewing as well as swallowing
New Fast Track Impairment #4: Superficial Siderosis of the Central Nervous System
Superficial Siderosis of the CNS is another rare condition characterized by the following symptoms:
- Deafness
- Inflammation of the cerebellum (i.e., brain swelling)
- Dementia
- Bladder disturbance
- Anosmia (i.e., total or partial loss of smell)
- Neck or back pain
Men are up to 3x times more likely to develop it than women, and it affects patients at every age.
New Fast Track Impairment #5: Tetrasomy 18p
This genetic condition affects babies born with 47 chromosomes (not the standard 46). Most Tetrasomy 18p newborns have trouble eating at birth, which is the first sign. But other clues your baby has this condition may include:
- Missing developmental milestones
- Decreased muscle tone
- Seizures
- Spina bifida
- Ear and eye problems
However, it’s easy to have your pediatrician test your baby for this condition. Approximately 30% of Tetrasomy 18p patients also have a heart defect.
Find Other Conditions That Speed Up Your Access to SSD Benefits
If you or a loved one have any of these conditions, you are on the CAL list. This allows you to fast track your disability claim. Because these are serious conditions that do not have a cure yet, the SSA prioritizes them. And if you don’t see your condition listed above, you may still have a qualifying CAL list impairment. These are the just the newest disabilities added to that list — but there are over 250 others! Click here to see more CAL list impairments. They’ll get any Social Security disability application flagged for the SSA’s fast track review process.
You May Qualify for Legal Assistance
Even if you don’t have a CAL list condition, there are other ways to fast track disability claims. In fact, having a Social Security attorney file your application makes you nearly 3x more likely to get SSD benefits. And you’re much less likely to get turned down on a technical denial, which affects as much as 2 in every 5 first-time claimants. Imagine the SSA rejecting your claim for leaving a field blank or bad handwriting! Best of all, these lawyers work on contingency, so you’ll never pay anything unless they help you win. And if you do win, then you’ll only pay a small, one-time fee.
Ready to see if you may qualify? Click the button below to start your free disability benefits evaluation now:
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Mandy Voisin is a freelance writer, blogger, and author of Girls of the Ocean and Star of Deliverance. As an accomplished content marketing consultant, mom of four and doctor's wife, Mandy has written hundreds of articles about dangerous drugs and medical devices, medical issues that impact disabled Americans, veterans' healthcare and workers' compensation issues since 2016.