Listing code
104.09
Children (Part B)
Body system
104.00
Cardiovascular system (children)
Subsections
0
No lettered criteria
Step in evaluation
3 of 5
Listing match approves the claim
SSA listing text and criteria
Heart transplant . Consider under a disability for 1 year following surgery; thereafter, evaluate residual impairment under the appropriate listing.
This listing has no lettered subsections. The diagnosis itself, supported by the medical evidence described in the body-system overview, is what SSA evaluates.
Source: SSA Blue Book listing 104.09. Last synced 2026-05-04.
Where claims under 104.09 usually fail
Using the wrong timing is a common failure mode: 104.09 is specifically for a disability period for 1 year following surgery, and then residual impairment is evaluated under the appropriate listing. Another pitfall is treating 104.09 as a symptoms-only listing, even though it has no lettered subsections, so the diagnosis and supporting medical evidence are central. A third issue is mixing up what happens after that first year, where residual impairment has to be evaluated under other listings rather than assuming the transplant diagnosis alone keeps the case qualifying. Finally, some cases focus only on general cardiovascular complaints, even though cardiovascular impairment in this section is evaluated using symptoms, signs, laboratory findings, response to prescribed treatment, and functional limitations.
Medical evidence that strengthens this claim
Because 104.09 has no lettered subsections, the key documentation is proof of the heart transplant and medical evidence supporting that diagnosis. After that 1-year period, SSA evaluates residual impairment using the cardiovascular criteria framework that looks at symptoms, signs, laboratory findings, response to prescribed treatment, and functional limitations, so the post-surgery medical record should include those kinds of clinical details.
What happens if your records do not meet this listing
For 104.09, the listing is tied to the 1-year period following surgery. If the case is evaluated after that period, qualifying cannot rely on the transplant diagnosis alone, and residual impairment must be matched to the appropriate cardiovascular listing(s) for children based on the remaining effects on heart or circulation function and the required medical evidence categories (symptoms, signs, laboratory findings, treatment response, and functional limitations).
Work activity and the SGA gate for this condition
For SSDI, the work-activity rules (SGA) apply from the start, before the listing is used to decide disability. For a heart transplant, the typical clinical picture that SSA evaluates under the cardiovascular framework includes effects on heart or circulatory functioning that can be severe, but whether sustained work activity reaches SGA depends on the individual functional limitations shown in the medical record. If disability is established, the extended eligibility rules apply after approval as in the standard post-approval process; the listing itself specifically includes a disability consideration period for 1 year following surgery, and then switches to evaluating residual impairment under the appropriate listing(s).
Listing 104.09 FAQ
Questions that come up repeatedly for heart transplant disability claims.