Listing code
13.07
Adult (Part A)
Body system
13.00
Cancer (malignant neoplastic diseases)
Subsections
2
Lettered criteria paths
Step in evaluation
3 of 5
Listing match approves the claim
SSA listing text and criteria
Multiple myeloma (confirmed by appropriate serum or urine protein electrophoresis and bone marrow findings).
Subsection A
Failure to respond or progressive disease following initial anticancer therapy. OR
Subsection B
With bone marrow or stem cell transplantation. Consider under a disability until at least 12 months from the date of transplantation. Thereafter, evaluate any residual impairment(s) under the criteria for the affected body system.
Source: SSA Blue Book listing 13.07. Last synced 2026-05-04.
Where claims under 13.07 usually fail
A frequent problem is missing the confirmation detail built into 13.07, such as having a diagnosis label but not having the appropriate serum or urine protein electrophoresis and bone marrow findings that confirm multiple myeloma. Another failure mode is focusing only on having had anticancer therapy, without addressing whether there is failure to respond or progressive disease after initial anticancer therapy (13.07A). A third issue is misunderstanding what transplantation changes: 13.07B provides a specific evaluation approach around transplantation timing, and then residual impairments are evaluated under the criteria for the affected body system afterward. A fourth pitfall is using cancer evidence that does not clearly connect the findings to the right cancer type and site within the cancer evaluation process described for cancer listings.
Medical evidence that strengthens this claim
To meet 13.07, medical evidence needs to show the confirmation elements: appropriate serum or urine protein electrophoresis findings and bone marrow findings that confirm multiple myeloma. For the 13.07A pathway, documentation should address failure to respond or progressive disease following initial anticancer therapy. For the 13.07B pathway, documentation should show that bone marrow or stem cell transplantation occurred and include the date of transplantation so SSA can apply the evaluation rule through at least 12 months from that date; after that point, SSA evaluates residual impairments under the criteria for the affected body system. If operative or biopsy-type documents cannot be obtained, SSA generally accepts summaries of hospitalization or other medical reports, but those summaries need to include the details of the relevant findings and, when appropriate, pathological findings (the cancer evidence expectations apply across the cancer listings in this body system).
What happens if your records do not meet this listing
If the 13.07 criteria for subsection A or B are not met, SSA still has to evaluate the claim using the remaining steps of the disability decision process. This typically includes assessing residual impairment(s) and functional limitations using the criteria for the affected body system where appropriate, rather than stopping at the cancer diagnosis alone. For many cancers, even when a specific listing is not met, the evaluation can still turn on how the cancer and any post-therapeutic residual effects limit functioning.
Work activity and the SGA gate for this condition
At the start of an SSDI claim, the work activity rule (SGA) determines whether work activity itself blocks consideration; the listing criteria in 13.07 still matter once SSA proceeds to the medical evaluation. For multiple myeloma under 13.07B, SSA considers the person disabled for at least 12 months from the date of bone marrow or stem cell transplantation, then evaluates any residual impairment(s) under the criteria for the affected body system. For 13.07A, SSA focuses on failure to respond or progressive disease following initial anticancer therapy, which is the medical basis for meeting the listing rather than the amount or duration of work activity.
Listing 13.07 FAQ
Questions that come up repeatedly for multiple myeloma (confirmed by appropriate serum or urine protein electrophoresis and bone marrow findings) disability claims.