Cardiovascular and Social Security Disability

Cardiovascular condition guides

• Congestive Heart Failure

  Chronic heart failure can reduce exertional capacity and cause fluid buildup. Listing 4.02 requires the specific medical and functional findings in the current cardiovascular rules.

• Coronary Artery Disease

  Narrowing or blockage of coronary arteries may cause myocardial ischemia. Listing 4.04 applies only when its prescribed-treatment and severity criteria are documented.

• Aneurysm

  Listing 4.10 covers aneurysm of the aorta or major branches with dissection not controlled by prescribed treatment. A brain aneurysm is not 4.10; SSA evaluates neurologic complications under 11.00. An imaging report is not an approval.

• Deep Vein Thrombosis

  There is no adult listing titled deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism. Chronic post-thrombotic venous disease may be evaluated under Listing 4.11, while lasting pulmonary-embolism complications may be considered under applicable respiratory or cardiovascular rules. If no listing is met, SSA considers the remaining functional limitations.

• Adrenal Disorders

  There is no adult listing titled Addison’s disease or Cushing’s syndrome. Listing 9.00 and SSR 14-3p evaluate adrenal disorders by their effects on bone, heart, weight, and mood—not by a cortisol value alone.

• Chronic Kidney Disease

  Current Listing 6.00 includes separate pathways for ongoing dialysis, kidney transplant, impaired kidney function with complications, and repeated CKD hospitalizations.

• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

  COPD causes persistent airflow obstruction. Listing 3.02 uses standardized respiratory testing; claims below listing level may still turn on exertion, exposure, and exacerbations.

• Diabetes

  Diabetes has no standalone adult listing. SSA evaluates its documented effects on other body systems and the combined functional limits those complications cause.

• Down Syndrome

  Listing 10.06 applies to non-mosaic Down syndrome documented through the listing's karyotype or alternate physician-report pathways. Mosaic Down syndrome and other congenital disorders affecting multiple body systems are evaluated under the listings for the body systems affected and through the remaining disability evaluation when necessary.

• Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome

  Ehlers-Danlos syndrome has no dedicated adult SSA listing. SSA evaluates documented joint instability, vascular complications, skin findings, autonomic effects, and other manifestations under the affected body systems and through residual functional capacity when no listing is met.

• Long COVID

  Long COVID has no dedicated listing. SSA may establish COVID-19, including its long-term effects, as a medically determinable impairment when supported by objective medical evidence. SSA then considers medical equivalence, any new or worsened impairments caused by COVID-19, and residual functional capacity. SSA's disability duration requirement is generally 12 months.

• Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome

  POTS is an orthostatic-intolerance syndrome without a dedicated SSA listing. Evaluation centers on objective diagnosis and supported limits from tachycardia, dizziness, syncope, fatigue, and cognitive symptoms.

• Sickle Cell Disease

  SSA evaluates sickle cell disease under Listing 7.05. Specified crises, hospitalizations, hemoglobin findings, or transfusion-related criteria may satisfy the listing. If the listing is not met, SSA considers documented complications and remaining functional limitations.

• Sleep Apnea

  Sleep apnea has no dedicated adult listing. SSA evaluates the medically documented sleep disorder and daytime limits—and any listing-level heart, lung, or neurologic complications—rather than an AHI number alone.

• Stroke

  SSA evaluates stroke as vascular insult to the brain under Listing 11.04. The listing uses three-month persistence criteria for its communication, motor, and combined physical-and-mental pathways, while SSA's neurological guidance allows an earlier decision in some cases when the available evidence is sufficient.

• Thyroid Disorders

  There is no adult listing titled thyroid disease. Listing 9.00 evaluates thyroid disorders by their effects on other body systems—heart rhythm, weight, stroke, vision, or mood—not by a TSH value alone.