Social Security Updates Heart Disability Criteria

The Social Security Administration now applies revised medical standards for cardiovascular disorders to pending and new disability claims.

Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Heart Disease

Isometric editorial illustration of a matte stone heart beside a bare steel weighing balance on a cream field, evoking heart-condition disability evaluation. — The Social Security Administration began applying revised cardiovascular disability criteria on October 30, covering pending and new SSDI and SSI claims. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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The Social Security Administration began using revised medical criteria for cardiovascular disorders on October 30, applying them to pending claims and new applications for SSDI and SSI. The final rule, published in the Federal Register on July 2, is the first comprehensive overhaul of heart listings since 2006.

Why it matters

The changes update how the agency evaluates heart conditions for adults and children seeking disability benefits, affecting how claims are assessed across the country. The overhaul adds dedicated sections for several conditions and revises criteria for others.

The final rule, published July 2, is the first comprehensive overhaul of heart listings since 2006 and covers adult and pediatric cardiovascular disorders. About 911,000 cases sit in the disability backlog, and it remains unclear how the revised criteria will shift outcomes for those claims.

The players

Social Security Administration

The federal agency that administers Social Security disability benefits under the SSDI and SSI programs, and which issued the revised cardiovascular listings.

The details

The rule adds dedicated listings for aortic valve disease (4.07), cardiomyopathy (4.08) and cardiac allograft vasculopathy (4.16), and revises criteria for chronic heart failure, ischemic heart disease, congenital heart disease and peripheral artery disease. Under the rules, medical evidence that meets every requirement of a listing allows the agency to find a person disabled without reviewing past or other work, while conditions that fall short may still be found medically equal to a listing.

July 2: Final rule published in the Federal Register.
October 30: Social Security Administration begins applying the revised cardiovascular criteria.

Health Landscape

This rule is the first comprehensive overhaul of the Social Security Administration's heart listings since the 2006 update. It replaces two decades of criteria that predated current cardiology practice for conditions such as aortic valve disease and cardiomyopathy.

Applicants and current beneficiaries with heart conditions may see their claims evaluated under the revised criteria, starting with applications filed on or after October 30 and claims pending on that date. The rule does not automatically stop any current benefit payments, so recipients should not assume a change in their status.

The takeaway

If you have a pending Social Security disability claim involving a heart condition, the revised criteria may apply to your case. You can check your application status by calling the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213.