Atticus offers free, high-quality disability advice for Americans who can't work. Our team of Stanford and Harvard trained lawyers has a combined 15+ years of legal experience, and have helped over 10,000 Americans apply for disability benefits.
Many conditions can qualify for Social Security disability, as long as they’re severe enough to keep you from working. We’ve helped clients get disability benefits for a wide range of health issues — from diabetes, to Crohn’s, to anxiety, to cancer.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) has a long “listing of impairments” in its Blue Book — breaking down the many conditions that can be eligible for disability, and the medical evidence they’ll look at for each one. If you have some conditions (called “compassionate allowances”) you may even automatically meet the medical qualifications.
Because the Blue Book can be technical and difficult to navigate, we’ve sorted and summarized the most common conditions that qualify for disability benefits. We’ll also explain how the SSA evaluates your eligibility, in layman's terms.
Side note: Everyone’s symptoms, treatment, and medical history are complex. We recommend using this guide as a starting point, but working with a lawyer once you’re ready to apply for benefits. They’ll know what medical evidence is most relevant, and help you navigate the complex application and appeal process.
If you’d like more personalized legal advice, or to be matched with a lawyer who understands your condition, Atticus can help for free. Take our 2-minute intake quiz to get started.
To qualify for disability, the SSA ultimately needs to see two things:
If you’re under age 50, you’ll have to prove that you’re unable to work in any job that exists. If you’re over 50, you have to prove you’re unable to work in fields you’ve previously worked in.
There are specific medical requirements based on your condition, and we’ll cover those in this article. There are also technical requirements based on your work history or income. You’ll probably meet them if you’ve worked for at least five of the past 10 years, but you can learn more about the technical rules for eligibility here.
Before you apply for disability benefits, here are some general rules to keep in mind:
Mental health conditions can qualify for disability benefits and they’re amongst the most common conditions with 34.6% of applicants having one (the SSA refers to them as mental disorders).
Some common mental health conditions that qualify for disability benefits:
However, many successful applicants qualify by having a mental health condition alongside another condition (e.g. kidney disease and anxiety, depression and back pain). It can be difficult (but by no means impossible!) to get disability benefits for mental illnesses alone.
There are a few key reasons it’s hard to qualify for benefits with a mental health condition:
If you’re applying for disability with a mental health condition alone, we highly recommend getting a disability lawyer who can make a compelling case for you before a judge.
Your mental condition may qualify for disability if at least some of the following are true:
And you have some of the following symptoms:
For more help, read our deep dive on navigating the disability process with a mental illness.
If you have pain or limited mobility when performing basic physical tasks, you’re likely a good candidate for disability benefits. In fact, 30.1% of disability recipients receive benefits for orthopedic or musculoskeletal disorders. Being unable to easily walk, sit, stand, or lift items for extended periods of time makes it difficult to do many jobs.
Whether your struggles with mobility are chronic (like back pain or possible severe sciatica), involve the soft tissues (like burns) or are due to another disorder (like osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis or another inflammatory arthritis), many of the same requirements apply.
Your condition may qualify for disability if you have some of the following symptoms:
Blindness, deafness, and other sensory disorders can qualify for disability — 10% of SSDI recipients having at least one of these conditions. But the rules can be very complicated and very technical. We recommend looking at the SSA guide to sensory disorders and bringing them to your doctor. Beyond that, qualifying for these conditions is similar to any other — if they prevent you from being able to work, they can qualify.
We’ll briefly cover blindness and deafness since they’re the most common, but conditions that involve your ability to speak or to balance (like vertigo) can also qualify.
The SSA has an extremely specific definition of what is considered blind for disability eligibility. If you think you might qualify, it’s worth bringing these criteria to your optometrist to confirm:
Generally speaking, your blindness can’t be correctable with vision aids. If glasses or contacts would solve the problem, it’s unlikely to qualify.
If you’ve received cochlear implants, you qualify for disability benefits for one year after they were implanted. You also can receive benefits if, after that year, you have word recognition of less than 60% during a Hearing in Noise Test (HINT).
If you haven’t received cochlear implants but have serious hearing loss, the rules are technical and come down to your results on audiometric tests and otologic exams. Consult a lawyer, or bring the SSA Blue Book definition to your doctor and ask them to note your test results in your medical records.
Among disability benefit recipients, 2.4% have a respiratory condition. Like other disorders, there are many respiratory conditions that can be disabling if sufficiently severe. For example, if your asthma prevents you from running long distances but is manageable with an inhaler, there are still many jobs you can do. But if you have frequent asthma attacks doing regular, day-to-day tasks, you’re likely unable to work.
Here are common respiratory illnesses that can qualify for disability:
You may qualify for disability benefits if some of the following are true for you:
There are additional qualifications for conditions like sleep apnea. If it changes your cognition or behavior, or leads you to have low blood oxygen or pulmonary vasoconstriction, you may qualify.
Any disorder that affects the proper functioning of the heart or the circulatory system can qualify for disability — 6.8% of people on SSDI have such conditions.
Some common cardiovascular and heart conditions that qualify for disability benefits:
Generally, regardless of the condition, the SSA expects you to have at least one of the following issues as the result of your cardiovascular disease:
If some or most of the following apply to you, you may qualify for disability:
Several digestive system disorders, when severe or difficult to treat, qualify for disability benefits — 1.4% of disability recipients have digestive disorders. Common conditions include
The SSA may also look at symptoms and surgeries as indicative of your disability. For example, if you suffer from weight loss due to a digestive disorder, if you've had a liver transplant, or if you've suffered gastrointestinal hemorrhaging that required a blood transfusion — you might qualify, regardless of what your underlying condition is.
If you have a colostomy bag, you may also be eligible for benefits.
The exact criteria you must meet will depend on your condition.
If you have IBD may qualify for disability if your bowels are obstructed. Alternatively, you qualify if you're following your treatment as prescribed and two or more of the following are true:
For liver diseases, you’ll meet the medical requirements if you experience hemorrhaging that results in hospitalization. There are several other tests that can be taken to confirm your chronic liver disease, but they're very technical (e.g. "Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis with peritoneal fluid containing an absolute neutrophil count of at least 250 cells"). Again, if your condition is sufficiently painful, severe, or unstable enough to prevent you from continuing to work — it’s worthwhile to apply for disability.
One side note about liver conditions specifically: Generally, the SSA isn’t supposed to consider your lifestyle when determining your disability. But if you drink alcohol — or suffer from alcoholism — and are applying for disability for your liver condition, that might hurt your case.
Genitourinary disorders — chronic kidney disease being the most common — can qualify for disability benefits and 1.7% of current SSDI recipients have a genitourinary condition.
If you suffer from renal failure, and are receiving dialysis, you should qualify for disability automatically. In that case, it’d be worthwhile to reach out to your Disability Determination Services (DDS) office when you submit your application. They may be able to fast-track it for approval.
Your condition or kidney disease may qualify for Social Security disability benefits if some or most of the following are true for you:
Hematological conditions are generally well documented by lab tests, and that's what the SSA will look at first. They'll want to see a lab report of a definitive test signed by a physician, or at the very least, a report from a physician that states you have the disorder you’re applying with.
Overall, 0.3% of people on disability have hematological disorders, with common conditions including
You can also qualify for complications from the treatment of hematological disorders, or procedures that involve bone marrow or stem cell transplantation.
Your specific blood disorder may qualify if at least some of the following are true for you:
Skin disorders can qualify for disability, though just 0.2% of disability recipients have one.
If you have a skin condition, a big consideration is its duration or the duration of your flare ups. For example, if you’re suffering after a burn, will your recovery time be longer than a year? If you suffer from dermatitis, have you had skin lesions or flare-ups for at least three months?
A few specific conditions that may qualify:
A few signs your specific skin disorder may render you unable to work, and eligible for disability:
Diabetes is the most common endocrine disorder we see qualify for Social Security disability. All told, 2.3% of benefits recipients have an endocrine disorder. Other potentially qualifying conditions include
Oftentimes with endocrine disorders, the SSA evaluates complications that affect your other bodily systems. For example, if your thyroid gland disorder results in cognitive limitations, mood disorders, and anxiety, the SSA will evaluate these symptoms like it would a mental health disorder. If your parathyroid gland disorder alters the calcium levels in your bones, they'll evaluate the parathyroid-related osteoporosis and fractures like a musculoskeletal disorder.
For diabetes and other endocrine disorders, you’re likely to qualify for benefits if some of the following are true for you:
You can read our deep dive on applying for disability with diabetes for more information. For other endocrine disorders, we recommend finding the section most related to your symptoms, or consulting the SSA guide for more info.
Cancer can qualify for disability and 3.0% of benefit recipients have a kind of cancer. If you have stage 4 cancer, you should qualify automatically and the SSA may fast-track your application.
Some types of cancer that commonly qualify, though this isn’t an exhaustive list:
The following cancers qualify for accelerated approval:
Your cancer may qualify you for benefits if some of the following are true for you:
If you’re in partial remission but you still have symptoms that make it hard to work a job, you should still apply for benefits. If you’ve already applied for and are receiving disability benefits, remission shouldn’t immediately impact your benefits. Your cancer is considered disabling unless you go three years from the original tumor being present, fully in remission, without any cancer recurring. At this point, the SSA may reevaluate your eligibility.
Read our deep dive on applying for disability with cancer.
Immune disorders can qualify for disability benefits, with lupus, gout, and HIV/AIDS being the most common conditions. AIDS applicants, like some cancer applicants, can often be “fast-tracked.” For more details see our list of TERI conditions (and other conditions that automatically qualify) later on.
Other immune conditions that may qualify include:
The symptoms and day-to-day impact of immune disorders often vary, but here are some general signs you may qualify:
Lupus has some more specific symptoms the SSA may look at:
Symptoms, treatment efficacy, and day-to-day impact of neurological disorders vary, but many conditions or circumstances (like a stroke), can qualify you for disability. Some neurological conditions, like ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), automatically qualify for disability benefits. (Learn more in our section on automatic qualifications below.)
The following are some neurological conditions that can qualify for Social Security disability:
Here are the most common neurological disorders that qualify, and some side effects that might indicate to the SSA that they’re disabling.
Cerebral Palsy:
Epilepsy:
Multiple sclerosis:
Peripheral neuropathy, stroke, and traumatic brain injury:
There are many other circumstances, conditions, injuries, and diseases that may qualify you for disability. When in doubt: If your condition makes it very hard, or impossible, to work over an extended period of time, it’s worthwhile to apply for disability.
If your injury or illness won’t last over a year, but is preventing you from working, you may have other options:
To learn more about all the types of disability benefits available, check out this article: Which Disability Benefits Do I Qualify For?
Broadly speaking there are two categories of conditions that medically qualify you automatically for disability benefits. (You’ll still have to meet work history or income and asset requirements — more on those here.) These are compassionate allowance cases and TERI (terminal illness) cases.
Compassionate allowance conditions are those that are deemed sufficiently disabling by diagnosis alone. There are many disorders on this list — like Coffin-Lowry syndrome, early-onset Alzheimer's, and several types of cancer.
We’ve listed all the compassionate allowance conditions for 2023 here.
TERI conditions sometimes overlap with these. If you or a third party assert (with medical evidence) that your illness is terminal, it can be flagged as a TERI case and fast-tracked.
The following list includes some, but not all, TERI conditions that can qualify for fast tracking:
- AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome)
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), known as Lou Gehrig's disease
- Receiving inpatient or at-home hospice care
- Chronic dependence on a cardiopulmonary life-sustaining device
- Chronic pulmonary or heart failure requiring continuous home oxygen
- Any cancer that is metastatic (has spread), Stage IV, persistent and recurrent following initial therapy, or inoperable
- Cancer of the esophagus, liver, pancreas, gallbladder, mesothelioma, small/oat cell lung cancer, brain cancer, acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), or acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL)
- A coma lasting for 30 days or more
- Lethal genetic or congenital defects in newborns
Maybe your condition isn’t listed here. Or you have multiple conditions. Or your symptoms are inconsistent, subsiding, or likely to get worse.
Navigating the technicality and the legality of the Social Security disability system can be hard. A good lawyer will have studied the SSA Blue Book extensively, will know what medical evidence you need, and can help you with your application (often they can even complete it for you).
For free legal advice or a lawyer (if you want or need one!) get started with Atticus. Our team of caring client advocates are ready to listen and provide more personalized help. Get started with our 2-minute intake quiz.
What conditions automatically qualify you for disability?
Compassionate allowance cases or TERI cases qualify you for disability. You’ll still have to meet work history or income and asset requirements — more on those here. We’ve listed all the compassionate allowance conditions for 2023 here.
What medical conditions qualify for disability?
Many conditions can qualify for Social Security disability, as long as they’re severe enough to keep you from working. We’ve helped clients get disability benefits for a wide range of health issues — from diabetes, to Crohn’s, to anxiety, to cancer.
What heart conditions qualify for disability?
Some common cardiovascular and heart conditions that qualify for disability benefits: Aneurysms (especially if you experience consistent chest pain), Congestive heart failure (especially if you’ve had to be hospitalized due to episodes), Coronary artery disease, and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS).
What back conditions qualify for disability?
If you have back pain or limited mobility when performing basic physical tasks, you’re likely a good candidate for disability benefits. In fact, 30.1% of disability recipients receive benefits for orthopedic or musculoskeletal disorders. Many back conditions qualify, in particular those that limit your ability to easily walk, sit, stand, or lift items.
How long has your condition made it hard to work?
Jackie Jakab
Lead Attorney
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