Social Security will begin using three new cardiovascular disability listings on Friday, Oct. 30, and will apply them to new claims, pending claims and continuing disability reviews. The listings are 4.07 for aortic valvular disease, 4.08 for cardiomyopathy and 4.16 for cardiac allograft vasculopathy, which is a heart-transplant complication. A matching child version, 104.16, covers the transplant condition for children.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) published the final rule in the Federal Register on July 2, 2026, under docket SSA-2019-0013. The rule is titled “Revised Medical Criteria for Evaluating Cardiovascular Disorders.” It states plainly: “This rule is effective October 30, 2026.”
A listing is a medical test SSA uses to decide disability. A person whose condition meets a listing’s criteria can be found disabled without the agency having to weigh the job history and age factors that apply to everyone else. The rule adds three new entries to that list for heart conditions and revises others in the same body system.
The reach of the rule is what matters for people with a claim already in the system. SSA says it will apply the rule “to new applications filed on or after the effective date of the rule, and to claims that are pending on or after the effective date.” A claim filed in August and still waiting for a decision on Oct. 30 is therefore decided under the new listings. The rule also says it applies in any case where SSA makes a determination or decision, including continuing disability reviews, the periodic checks of whether a person on disability still qualifies.
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What do the three new heart listings cover?
According to the Federal Register rule, listings 4.07 (aortic valvular disease), 4.08 (cardiomyopathy) and 4.16/104.16 (cardiac allograft vasculopathy) are new. Aortic valvular disease affects the valve that carries blood from the heart to the body. Cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart muscle.
The rule also adds a new test inside an existing listing. Listing 4.04D2 now accepts a measurement called the instantaneous wave-free ratio as another way to show how severe a narrowed heart artery is. That is a new method within the ischemic heart disease listing, not a fourth listing of its own.
SSA’s contact for questions about the rule is Michael J. Goldstein of the Office of Disability Policy, at (410) 965-1020.
Does the rule change a claim that is already pending?
Yes, in the sense that the decision will use the new criteria if it comes on or after Oct. 30. The rule does not say that pending claims are sent back to the start or that the filing date changes. It sets the standard that applies on the day SSA decides.
A claim based on a heart condition outside the new listings is still judged under SSA’s other cardiovascular listings and the regular disability process. A person who does not meet a listing can still be found disabled on other grounds. The SSA disability overview explains eligibility, benefit amounts and work rules.
What happens to people already on disability?
Continuing disability reviews are named in the rule, so a review decided on or after Oct. 30 uses the new heart criteria where they apply. A review is a routine check, and a notice that one is under way does not mean benefits are ending.
The rule text does not set out new steps for people in a review. Anyone who receives a review notice should answer it by the date on the letter and send the medical records SSA requests. Those who have not heard anything do not need to do anything because of this rule.
Where can a heart-condition claim be filed or checked?
New claims can be started online through SSA’s disability application page. SSA’s published adult cardiovascular page in its medical guide, the Blue Book, still shows the older listings dated October 2008. The new numbers 4.07, 4.08 and 4.16 do not appear there yet, so the Federal Register text is the place to read the new criteria.
Medical records matter most. A claim moves faster when it includes the test results and specialist notes that match a listing’s wording, and a doctor can tell a patient which of those results exist.
Waiting on a heart-disability decision after Oct. 30?
Ask the treating cardiologist for the echocardiogram or heart-muscle test results now, so they are on file before SSA decides.
A medical decision is only one test. Anyone applying for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) faces a second one on income and savings, and a mistake there can stop a check even when the heart condition is accepted.
The SSI & Disability Action Kit covers the money side of that decision. It lays out the 2026 SSI income and resource limits, the review and reporting steps, and an income and resource organizer for keeping the numbers straight while a claim is pending or under review.
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
David M. Keller is a finance writer based in Columbus, Ohio, covering personal finance and consumer-focused economic topics. He earned his degree in journalism from Ohio University and began his career reporting on local business and economic trends for a regional media outlet. Since then, he has contributed to a variety of online publications, focusing on clear, practical coverage of topics such as cost of living, debt, and everyday financial decision-making.
