13.00 has more sub-listings than any other category in the Blue Book — almost every major cancer type has its own specific criteria around staging, recurrence, response to treatment, or metastatic involvement. The good news for cancer claimants: many cancers are on SSA’s Compassionate Allowances list, meaning the case can be decided in 30 days or less rather than the typical 6-8 months.
How 13.00 is structured
Each major cancer category gets its own sub-listing with cancer-specific criteria:
- 13.02 — Head and neck cancers
- 13.03 — Skin cancers
- 13.04 — Soft tissue sarcoma
- 13.05 — Lymphoma (Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin)
- 13.06 — Leukemia
- 13.07 — Multiple myeloma
- 13.09 — Brain tumors
- 13.10 — Breast cancer
- 13.11 — Skeletal system sarcoma
- 13.12 — Maxilla, orbit, or temporal fossa cancers
- 13.13 — Nervous system cancers
- 13.14 — Lung cancer
- 13.15 — Pleural or mediastinal cancers
- 13.16 — Esophagus or stomach cancer
- 13.17 — Small intestine cancer
- 13.18 — Large intestine cancer
- 13.19 — Liver or gallbladder cancer
- 13.20 — Pancreatic cancer
- 13.21 — Kidney/urinary tract cancer
- 13.22 — Cancers of the genitourinary tract
- 13.23 — Female genital cancers
- 13.24 — Prostate cancer
- 13.25 — Testicular cancer
- 13.26 — Penile cancer
- 13.27 — Primary site unknown after appropriate search
- 13.28 — Cancers treated by bone marrow or stem cell transplantation
- 13.29 — Malignant melanoma
The common patterns across 13.00
Most 13.00 sub-listings recognize at least one of three pathways to disability:
1. Advanced staging. Stage III or IV cancers, or cancers with distant metastasis, generally meet the listing. The specific staging criteria are cancer-type-specific, but the principle is consistent.
2. Inability to surgically resect. Cancers that cannot be surgically removed due to anatomic location or extensive involvement typically meet their listing.
3. Recurrence after initial treatment. Most listings have a “recurrence despite anticancer therapy” pathway — if you had treatment, achieved remission, then recurred, the recurrence often meets the listing.
Treatment effects as independent qualifier
Many cancer claimants meet listings not because the cancer itself meets criteria, but because the treatment causes its own disability. Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy can meet 11.14. Cardiac toxicity from certain regimens can meet 4.02. Cognitive effects (“chemo brain”) can support 12.02 arguments.
SSA acknowledges that cancer treatment itself is often disabling, and treatment-related impairments can independently qualify even when the cancer goes into remission.
Compassionate Allowances — fast track
This is where 13.00 differs most from other listings. Dozens of cancers are on SSA’s Compassionate Allowances list, meaning the decision is typically issued within 30 days:
- Acute leukemia (AML, ALL)
- Esophageal cancer
- Glioblastoma
- Inflammatory breast cancer
- Liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma)
- Mesothelioma
- Pancreatic cancer (most forms)
- Pleural mesothelioma
- Small cell lung cancer
- Stage IV breast cancer
- Stage IV colorectal cancer
- And many others
If you have any cancer that could be on the Compassionate Allowances list, identify that in your application so SSA can route the case appropriately.
What evidence wins cancer cases
Oncologist treatment records. Pathology reports (the actual report, not just the impression). Staging documentation. Imaging studies showing extent of disease. Treatment records (surgery, chemo, radiation regimens). Documentation of treatment response. For treatment-related complications: relevant specialist records.
For Compassionate Allowances applications: clearly state the qualifying diagnosis on the SSA-3368 form and make sure pathology confirms it.
Where cancer cases fall apart
The most common issue: cases where the cancer was successfully treated and the claimant is now in remission, but persistent complications continue. SSA may close such cases assuming functional recovery if treatment is documented as successful — when the claimant actually has ongoing peripheral neuropathy, fatigue, cognitive issues, or other treatment sequelae.
The fix: develop the treatment-effects argument as a separate disability basis under other listings (11.14 neuropathy, 12.02 cognitive, etc.).
For some sub-listings: documentation needs to come from specific imaging modalities. Pathology alone isn’t enough — staging requires imaging confirmation of distant disease.
Related conditions on our site
Free consultation
If you have any cancer diagnosis — current treatment, in remission with complications, or recently progressed — a free 30-minute call clarifies whether your case qualifies for Compassionate Allowances fast-track, the standard 13.00 pathway, or treatment-effects arguments under other listings.
Official SSA reference: View Section 13.00 on ssa.gov →