Listing code
13.14
Adult (Part A)
Body system
13.00
Cancer (malignant neoplastic diseases)
Subsections
3
Lettered criteria paths
Step in evaluation
3 of 5
Listing match approves the claim
SSA listing text and criteria
Lungs.
Subsection A
Non-small-cell carcinoma--inoperable, unresectable, recurrent, or metastatic disease to or beyond the hilar nodes. OR
Subsection B
Small-cell (oat cell) carcinoma. OR
Subsection C
Carcinoma of the superior sulcus (including Pancoast tumors) with multimodal anticancer therapy (see 13.00E3c ). Consider under a disability until at least 18 months from the date of diagnosis. Thereafter, evaluate any residual impairment(s) under the criteria for the affected body system.
Source: SSA Blue Book listing 13.14. Last synced 2026-05-04.
Where claims under 13.14 usually fail
One pitfall is using an imaging report or screening result without the cancer type and the required spread or treatment pattern needed for 13.14 (for example, non-small-cell carcinoma needs the inoperable/unresectable/recurrent/metastatic-to-hilar-nodes situation in subsection A). Another pitfall is mixing cancer types, such as assuming any lung carcinoma qualifies under subsection B when 13.14 distinguishes small-cell (oat cell) carcinoma from non-small-cell carcinoma. A third pitfall is missing the location and therapy pathway in subsection C, where superior sulcus (including Pancoast) carcinoma needs multimodal anticancer therapy and special timing for evaluation. A fourth pitfall is treating 'metastatic' as enough without the location detail tied to subsection A, which specifically references metastasis to or beyond the hilar nodes.
Medical evidence that strengthens this claim
Medical evidence must specify the type, extent, and site of the primary, recurrent, or metastatic lesion for 13.14 to be evaluated under 13.00F and the lung site rules in 13.00C. For procedures like biopsy or needle aspiration, SSA generally needs both the operative note and the pathology report, and when those cannot be obtained, SSA may accept a summary of hospitalization or other medical reports that include the surgical findings and, when appropriate, pathological findings. In situations involving recurrence, persistence, or progression, and the response to therapy and significant residuals, additional longitudinal evidence may be needed under the cancer framework in 13.00F and 13.00G (timing specifics appear only for superior sulcus carcinoma in 13.14C).
What happens if your records do not meet this listing
If the specific subsection criteria for 13.14 are not met, SSA moves on to the remaining steps of the disability evaluation process. SSA considers the person's remaining ability to do work activities (often discussed as residual functional capacity) based on the medical evidence, then uses that information along with vocational factors to decide whether disability can be found even when a listing is not met.
Work activity and the SGA gate for this condition
At the start of an SSDI claim, SSA generally considers work activity and whether it reaches substantial gainful activity; eligibility turns on whether the work is above that work level while the impairment is in place. After approval, the person's ability to perform work is evaluated under SSA's usual continuing disability review rules for whether the impairment continues to be disabling. For 13.14C specifically, evaluation is directed to consider superior sulcus (including Pancoast) carcinoma with multimodal anticancer therapy as a disability until at least 18 months from the date of diagnosis, and then evaluate any residual impairments under the criteria for the affected body system. (SGA dollar figures are not provided here.)
Listing 13.14 FAQ
Questions that come up repeatedly for lungs disability claims.