SSA Expands Expedited Disability Claims Pathway To 314 Conditions Amid Efforts To Reduce Processing Backlog

The Social Security Administration (SSA) expanded the number of medical conditions eligible for expedited disability claim processing from 300 to 314 on August 11, 2026. The expansion comes as SSA continues efforts to reduce the backlog and processing times for disability determinations.

SSA’s Compassionate Allowances (CAL) initiative identifies serious diseases and medical conditions that meet the agency’s statutory standard for disability and allows qualifying claims to move through an accelerated determination process. CAL claims can be processed in approximately 10 days, compared with an average of 227 days for standard initial disability determinations.

The broader initial disability claims . . .