Disabling Conditions
Contained on this page is a listing of disabling conditions that can be considered severe enough by the Social Security Administration (SSA) to qualify a person for Social Security Disability benefits. These conditions can interfere with an individual’s ability to achieve gainful employment, thereby making that person eligible for SSDI or SSI benefits.
Many of these conditions are described in the impairment listing manual, or "Blue Book," used by state-run Disability Determination Services (DDS) to determine whether or not a person meets the SSA's criteria for total disability. Claimants who meet the eligibility criteria for a condition listed in the Blue Book should be awarded benefits through the Social Security Disability application process.
In addition to the Blue Book conditions listed below, individuals may qualify for disability benefits under one of the SSA's 88 Compassionate Allowance listings. Through the Compassionate Allowance initiative, claimants suffering from extremely severe medical conditions may qualify for expedited consideration of their Social Security Disability claim, thereby drastically reducing the waiting period before approval.
If you believe that you are disabled and would like to know more about applying for Social Security Disability with any of the following conditions, please click on the name of the disease for detailed information about symptoms, diagnoses, and SSA disability criteria for that particular condition.
Musculoskeletal System
- Amputation
- Anterior Poliomyelitis
- Degenerative Disc Disease
- Major Dysfunction of a Joint
- Spine Disorders
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Fibromyalgia
- Fracture of the Femur, Tibia, or Pelvis
- Fracture of an Upper Extremity
- Herniated Disc
- Inflammatory Arthritis
- Lumbar Stenosis
- Muscular Dystrophy
- Spinal Arachnoiditis
- Osteoarthritis
- Reflex Sympathetic Disorder
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Ruptured Disc
- Soft Tissue Injury (Burns)
- Undifferentiated and Mixed Connective Tissue Disease
Special Senses and Speech
Respiratory System
- Asthma
- Emphysema
- Sarcoidosis
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
- Lung Transplant
- Bronchiectasis
- Pneumoconiosis
- Chronic Restrictive Ventilatory Disease
- Mycobacterial, Mycotic, and Other Chronic Lung Infections
- Sleep Related Breathing Disorders
Cardiovascular System
- Chronic Venous Insufficiency
- Cor Pulmonale Secondary Chronic Pulmonary Hypertension
- Heart Failure
- Heart Transplant
- Ischemic Heart Disease
- Left Ventricular Assist Device
- Recurrent Arrhythmia
- Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD)
- Aneurysm of the Aorta or Major Branches
- Symptomatic Congenital Heart Disease
Digestive System
- Crohn's Disease
- Colitis
- Liver Disease
- Primary Biliary Cirrhosis
- Hepatitis
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
- Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis
- Short Bowel Syndrome
- Wilson's Disease
- Cirrhosis
Genitourinary Impairments
Hematological Disorders
- Aplastic Anemia with Bone Marrow or Stem Cell Transplantation
- Chronic Anemia
- Chronic Granulocytopenia
- Sickle Cell Disease
- Chronic Thrombocytopenia
- Coagulation Defects and Hemophelia
- Hereditary Telangiectasia
- Hemochromatosis
- Liver Transplantation
- Multiple Myeloma
- Polycythemia Vera
- Systemic Vasculitis
Skin Disorders
- Bullous Diseases
- Burns
- Chronic Skin Diseases
- Dermatitis
- Dermatomyositis
- Genetic Photosensitivity Disorders
- Ichthyosis
Endocrine System
- Adrenal Gland Disorders
- Diabetes
- Obesity
- Parathyroid Gland Disorders
- Pituitary Gland Disorders
- Thyroid Gland Disorders
Multiple Body System Impairments
- Mosaic/Non-mosaic Down Syndrome
- Trisomy X Syndrome (XXX Syndrome)
- Fragile X Syndrome
- Phenylketonuria (PKU)
- Caudal Regression Syndrome
- Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
Neurological Problems
- Cerebral Palsy
- Neuropathy
- Seizure Disorder
- Stroke (Cerebrovascular Accident)
- Myasthenia Gravis
- Traumatic Brain Injury
- Parkinson's Disease
- Syringomyelia
Mental Disorders
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Anxiety Disorder
- Autism
- Bipolar Disorder
- Depression
- Drug Addiction
- Mood Disorder
- Organic Mental Disorders
- Panic Attacks
- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Schizophrenia
Malignant Neoplastic Diseases
- Acute Leukemia
- Cancer
- Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
- Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia
- Lymphoma
- Macroglobulinemia
- Mesothelioma
- Myelofibrosis
