What Conditions Automatically Qualify You for Disability?
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 has helped over 50,000 Americans apply for disability benefits.
If you have a medical condition that prevents you from working, you might qualify for Social Security disability benefits. The application process for Social Security benefits is long—unfortunately, there’s no shortcut to receiving a monthly disability check in the mail.
However, certain conditions qualify automatically and help fast-track the application process. Learn more about which conditions automatically qualify, the eligibility requirements, and the most approved conditions below.
Jump to:
What conditions automatically qualify you for disability benefits?
2024 Compassionate Allowance List
What disabilities are hard to prove?
What are the most approved disabilities for Social Security?
What conditions automatically qualify you for disability benefits?
Some conditions automatically qualify for Social Security disability benefits under the Social Security Administration’s Compassionate Allowance program. The Social Security Administration (SSA) recognizes certain cancers, adult brain disorders, and rare disorders as automatic qualifiers.
If your condition is listed under the compassionate allowance list, your case will be expedited for approval to receive benefits, provided you meet all other criteria. The SSA determines eligibility for benefits using its five-step sequential evaluation process, which also considers your earnings and work history.
Social Security 5-step sequential evaluation process
After you submit your disability application, Disability Determination Services (DDS) will assess your disability claim using the following steps:
Are you working at a substantial gainful activity (SGA) level? SGA is a work activity and earnings level that requires significant mental and physical output. In 2024, the SSA considers $1,550 in monthly earnings SGA.
Do you have a severe impairment? Your medical condition must be expected to last more than 12 months, and the DDS will examine how it impacts your ability to work.
Does your disability meet the government’s definition of disability? The SSA’s Listing of Impairments, also known as the Blue Book, lists the criteria for eligible illnesses and conditions.
Can you do past work? The DDS will assess your current limitations and determine whether you can perform the work you’ve done in the past.
Can you do any other type of work? The DDS will consider if you can adjust to other types of work based on your education, age, previous work experience, and transferable skills.
For more information on how to apply for Social Security disability, check out our step-by-step guide.
What is the SSA Blue Book?
The Social Security Administration uses the Disability Evaluation Under Social Security, also known as the SSA Blue Book, to assess disabling conditions. The SSA Blue Book includes a “Listing of Impairments” with fourteen categories of conditions and medical criteria to evaluate impairments of each major body system.
The categories include musculoskeletal disorders; special senses and speech; respiratory disorders; cardiovascular system; digestive disorders; genitourinary disorders; hematological disorders; skin disorders; endocrine disorders; congenital disorders that affect multiple body systems; neurological disorders; mental disorders; cancer (malignant neoplastic diseases); and immune system disorders.
If your condition is not in the SSA’s Blue Book, you can still qualify for benefits if you can prove your condition is severely limiting and prevents you from being able to work. This is where it can be really helpful to work with a lawyer. A disability attorney can help you gather the right medical evidence for your condition and build your case.
What is the easiest condition to get disability?
There are no conditions under which it is easier to secure disability benefits than others. Several factors determine your eligibility for benefits, including your earnings and work history, so you must medically and technically qualify for benefits. However, it can be easier to medically qualify for benefits if you have a condition with well-defined symptoms and diagnostic criteria.
“Most of the time with SSA, you need to prove that your condition makes it difficult to work. But there are certain conditions, like those on the compassionate allowance list, where SSA recognizes that just by having the condition, it's going to be very hard to work — in those cases, it's often a lot easier to get benefits,” says Sarah Aitchison, a lawyer at Atticus.
What disabilities are hard to prove?
Mental conditions can be challenging to prove to the SSA. To qualify for disability benefits, you need evidence like diagnostic tests and medical records to prove your condition makes it impossible to work. Tests like X-rays and bloodwork can demonstrate physical illnesses, but mental illnesses can be harder to document.
“A critical piece of winning disability benefits in a mental health case is that your limitations and symptoms are discussed in detail in your medical records," says Sydney Hershenhorn, a lawyer at Atticus. "The best way to make sure this happens is by seeing a specialist regularly and talking to them about your condition."
What are the most approved disabilities for Social Security?
According to the Social Security Administration1, nearly nine million people in the United States receive Social Security disability benefits. In 2022, two and a half million applicants won benefits for diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue.
Top 5 most approved disabilities
Among the recipients, here are the most approved diagnostic groups:
Diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue: In 2022, 34.1% of disabled workers were awarded disability benefits for diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue, including conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, and osteoarthritis.
Depressive, bipolar, and related disorders: Conditions like depression and bipolar disorder account for 12.7% of disability recipients.
Diseases of the nervous system and sense organs: This category of diagnostic group accounts for 10% of disability recipients and includes conditions like epilepsy, Bell’s palsy, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, and Alzheimer’s disease.
Diseases of the circulatory system: Diseases of the circulatory system include heart disease, high blood pressure, and peripheral artery disease. These conditions account for 7.6% of all approved conditions.
Intellectual disorders: In 2022, 3.8% of all recipients received benefits for intellectual disorders, like traumatic brain injuries and autism spectrum disorder.
Get help applying for Social Security disability benefits
Atticus is a law firm specializing in helping Americans apply — and win — Social Security disability benefits. Check out our resources about how to apply and qualify for benefits programs, including Social Security Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
Take our 2-minute quiz to see if you qualify, and call Atticus for free advice about your application options. We can also introduce you to a highly qualified disability lawyer who can help you navigate the disability application process, if you'd like.
2024 Compassionate Allowance List
1p36 Deletion Syndrome Acute Leukemia Adrenal Cancer - with distant metastases or inoperable, unresectable or recurrent Adult Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Adult Onset Huntington Disease Aicardi-Goutieres Syndrome Alexander Disease (ALX) - Neonatal and Infantile Allan-Herndon-Dudley Syndrome Alobar Holoprosencephaly Alpers Disease Alpha Mannosidosis - Type II and III ALS/Parkinsonism Dementia Complex Alstrom Syndrome Alveolar Soft Part Sarcoma Amegakaryocytic Thrombocytopenia Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Anaplastic Adrenal Cancer - Adult with distant metastases or inoperable, unresectable or recurrent Anaplastic Ependymoma Angelman Syndrome Angiosarcoma Aortic Atresia Aplastic Anemia Astrocytoma - Grade III and IV Ataxia Telangiectasia Atypical Teratoid/Rhabdoid Tumor Batten Disease Beta Thalassemia Major Bilateral Optic Atrophy- Infantile Bilateral Retinoblastoma Bladder Cancer - with distant metastases or inoperable or unresectable Breast Cancer - with distant metastases or inoperable or unresectable Canavan Disease (CD) CACH--Vanishing White Matter Disease-Infantile and Childhood Onset Forms Calciphylaxis Carcinoma of Unknown Primary Site Cardiac Amyloidosis- AL Type Caudal Regression Syndrome - Types III and IV CDKL5 Deficiency Disorder Cerebro Oculo Facio Skeletal (COFS) Syndrome Cerebrotendinous Xanthomatosis Charlevoix-Saguenay Spastic Ataxia (New) Child Lymphoblastic Lymphoma Child Lymphoma Child Neuroblastoma - with distant metastases or recurrent Cholangiocarcinoma Chondrosarcoma - with multimodal therapy Choroid Plexus Carcinoma (New) Chronic Idiopathic Intestinal Pseudo Obstruction Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML) - Blast Phase CIC-rearranged Sarcoma (New) Coffin-Lowry Syndrome Congenital Lymphedema Congenital Myotonic Dystrophy Congenital Zika Syndrome (New) Cornelia de Lange Syndrome - Classic Form Corticobasal Degeneration Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) – Adult Cri du Chat Syndrome Degos Disease - Systemic DeSanctis Cacchione Syndrome Desmoplastic Mesothelioma (New) Desmoplastic Small Round Cell Tumors Dravet Syndrome Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy- Adult (New) Early-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease Edwards Syndrome (Trisomy 18) Eisenmenger Syndrome Endometrial Stromal Sarcoma Endomyocardial Fibrosis Ependymoblastoma (Child Brain Cancer) Erdheim Chester Disease Esophageal Cancer Esthesioneuroblastoma Ewing Sarcoma Farber Disease (FD) – Infantile Fatal Familial Insomnia Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva Fibrolamellar Cancer Follicular Dendritic Cell Sarcoma - metastatic or recurrent FOXG1 Syndrome Friedreichs Ataxia (FRDA) Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD), Picks Disease -Type A – Adult Fryns Syndrome Fucosidosis - Type 1 Fukuyama Congenital Muscular Dystrophy Fulminant Giant Cell Myocarditis Galactosialidosis - Early and Late Infantile Types Gallbladder Cancer Gaucher Disease (GD) - Type 2 Giant Axonal Neuropathy Glioblastoma Multiforme (Brain Cancer) Glioma Grade III and IV Glutaric Acidemia - Type II | GM1 Gangliosidosis - Infantile and Juvenile Forms Head and Neck Cancers - with distant metastasis or inoperable or unresectable Heart Transplant Graft Failure Heart Transplant Wait List - 1A/1B Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) - Familial Type Hepatoblastoma Hepatopulmonary Syndrome Hepatorenal Syndrome Histiocytosis Syndromes Hoyeraal-Hreidarsson Syndrome Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome Hydranencephaly Hypocomplementemic Urticarial Vasculitis Syndrome Hypophosphatasia Perinatal (Lethal) and Infantile Onset Types Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome I Cell Disease Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Infantile Free Sialic Acid Storage Disease Infantile Neuroaxonal Dystrophy (INAD) Infantile Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinoses Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC) Intracranial Hemangiopericytoma Jervell and Lange-Nielsen Syndrome Joubert Syndrome Junctional Epidermolysis Bullosa - Lethal Type Juvenile Onset Huntington Disease Kidney Cancer - inoperable or unresectable Kleefstra Syndrome Krabbe Disease (KD) – Infantile Kufs Disease - Type A and B Large Intestine Cancer - with distant metastasis or inoperable, unresectable or recurrent> Late Infantile Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinoses Leber Congenital Amaurosis Leigh’s Disease Leiomyosarcoma Leptomeningeal Carcinomatosis Lesch-Nyhan Syndrome (LNS) Lewy Body Dementia Liposarcoma - metastatic or recurrent Lissencephaly Liver Cancer Lowe Syndrome Lymphomatoid Granulomatosis - Grade III Malignant Brain Stem Gliomas – Childhood Malignant Ectomesenchymoma Malignant Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor Malignant Germ Cell Tumor Malignant Multiple Sclerosis Malignant Renal Rhabdoid Tumor Mantle Cell Lymphoma (MCL) Maple Syrup Urine Disease Marshall-Smith Syndrome Mastocytosis - Type IV MECP2 Duplication Syndrome Medulloblastoma - with metastases Megacystis Microcolon Intestinal Hypoperistalsis Syndrome Megalencephaly Capillary Malformation Syndrome Menkes Disease - Classic or Infantile Onset Form Merkel Cell Carcinoma - with metastases Merosin Deficient Congenital Muscular Dystrophy Metachromatic Leukodystrophy (MLD) - Late Infantile Metastatic Endometrial Adenocarcinoma Mitral Valve Atresia Mixed Dementias MPS I, formerly known as Hurler Syndrome MPS II, formerly known as Hunter Syndrome MPS III, formerly known as Sanfilippo Syndrome Mucosal Malignant Melanoma Multicentric Castleman Disease Multiple System Atrophy Myoclonic Epilepsy with Ragged Red Fibers Syndrome Neonatal Adrenoleukodystrophy Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis Neurodegeneration with Brain Iron Accumulation - Types 1 and 2 NFU-1 Mitochondrial Disease Nicolaides-Baraister Syndrome Niemann-Pick Disease (NPD) - Type A Niemann-Pick Disease-Type C Nonketotic Hyperglycinemia Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Obliterative Bronchiolitis Ohtahara Syndrome Oligodendroglioma Brain Cancer- Grade III Ornithine Transcarbamylase (OTC) Deficiency Orthochromatic Leukodystrophy with Pigmented Glia | Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) - Type II Osteosarcoma, formerly known as Bone Cancer - with distant metastases or inoperable or unresectable Ovarian Cancer – with distant metastases or inoperable or unresectable Pallister-Killian Syndrome Pancreatic Cancer Paraneoplastic Cerebellar Degeneration Paraneoplastic Pemphigus Patau Syndrome (Trisomy 13) Pearson Syndrome Pelizaeus-Merzbacher Disease-Classic Form Pelizaeus-Merzbacher Disease-Connatal Form Pericardial Mesothelioma (New) Peripheral Nerve Cancer - metastatic or recurrent Peritoneal Mesothelioma Peritoneal Mucinous Carcinomatosis Perry Syndrome Phelan-McDermid Syndrome Pineoblastoma - Childhood Pitt Hopkins Syndrome Pleural Mesothelioma Pompe Disease – Infantile Primary Central Nervous System Lymphoma Primary Effusion Lymphoma Primary Omental Cancer Primary Peritoneal Cancer Primary Progressive Aphasia Progressive Bulbar Palsy Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy Progressive Supranuclear Palsy Prostate Cancer - Hormone Refractory Disease – or with visceral metastases Pulmonary Atresia Pulmonary Kaposi Sarcoma Refractory Hodgkin Lymphoma (New) Renpenning Syndrome (New) Retinopathy of Prematurity - Stage V Rett (RTT) Syndrome Revesz Syndrome Rhabdomyosarcoma Rhizomelic Chondrodysplasia Punctata Richter Syndrome Roberts Syndrome Rubinstein-Taybi Syndrome Salivary Cancers Sarcomatoid Carcinoma of the Lung - Stages II - IV Sandhoff Disease Schindler Disease - Type 1 SCN8A Related Epilepsy with Encephalopathy (New) Seckel Syndrome Secondary Adenocarcinoma of the Brain Severe Combined Immunodeficiency - Childhood Single Ventricle Sinonasal Cancer Sjogren-Larsson Syndrome Skin Malignant Melanoma with Metastases Small Cell Cancer (Large Intestine, Prostate or Thymus) Small Cell Cancer of the Female Genital Tract Small Cell Lung Cancer Small Intestine Cancer - with distant metastases or inoperable, unresectable or recurrent Smith Lemli Opitz Syndrome Soft Tissue Sarcoma - with distant metastases or recurrent Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) - Types 0 and 1 Spinal Nerve Root Cancer-metastatic or recurrent Spinocerebellar Ataxia Stiff Person Syndrome Stomach Cancer - with distant metastases or inoperable, unresectable or recurrent Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis Superficial Siderosis of the Central Nervous System SYNGAP1-related NSID (New) Tabes Dorsalis Tay Sachs Disease - Infantile Type Taybi-Linder Syndrome (New) Tetrasomy 18p Thanatophoric Dysplasia - Type 1 Thyroid Cancer Transplant Coronary Artery Vasculopathy Tricuspid Atresia Trisomy 9 Ullrich Congenital Muscular Dystrophy Ureter Cancer - with distant metastases or inoperable, unresectable or recurrent Usher Syndrome - Type I Ventricular Assist Device Recipient - Left, Right, or Biventricular Walker Warburg Syndrome Wolf-Hirschhorn Syndrome Wolman Disease X-Linked Lymphoproliferative Disease X-Linked Myotubular Myopathy Xeroderma Pigmentosum Zellweger Syndrome |
What Conditions Qualify FAQ
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 2024 here.
What medical conditions qualify for disability?
What heart conditions qualify for disability?
Many common cardiovascular and heart conditions that qualify for disability benefits, including: 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?
Many back conditions qualify for disability — in particular those that limit your ability to easily walk, sit, stand, or lift items. If you have back pain or limited mobility when performing basic physical tasks, you’re likely a good candidate for benefits. In fact, 30.1% of disability recipients receive benefits for orthopedic or musculoskeletal disorders.
Related resources:
Qualifying for Disability: Everything You Should Know
Is it Hard to Get Disability for Mental Illness? (Yes, But This Can Help)
How long has your condition made it hard to work?
References
- 1.“Social Security Administration,” Social Security Administration, Social Security Administration, published October 1, 2023, accessed May 16, 2024, https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/statcomps/di_asr/2022/di_asr22.pdf.
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