Revised Medical Criteria for Evaluating Cardiovascular Disorders
Key claim: The Social Security Administration is revising its Listing of Impairments criteria for evaluating cardiovascular disorder disability claims in adults and children under titles II and XVI of the Social Security Act.
Abstract
(Rule · Social Security Administration) We are revising the criteria in the Listing of Impairments (listings) that we use to evaluate claims involving cardiovascular disorders in adults and children under titles II and XVI of the Social Security Act (Act). The revisions reflect our adjudicative experience, advances in medical knowledge, and comments we received from the public in response to a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).
Why this matters
SSA’s Listing of Impairments is the medical rulebook that determines who qualifies for federal disability benefits, and revisions to the cardiovascular criteria change how heart-related claims are adjudicated for both adults and children. Because SSDI and SSI eligibility are gateways to Medicare and Medicaid coverage, changes to these listings ripple into who gains access to federal health coverage. The final rule reflects incremental updates rather than a wholesale overhaul, but individual claimants with cardiovascular impairments may see different outcomes under the revised standards.