Listing code
7.05
Adult (Part A)
Body system
7.00
Hematological disorders
Subsections
0
No lettered criteria
Step in evaluation
3 of 5
Listing match approves the claim
SSA listing text and criteria
Hemolytic anemias, including sickle cell disease, thalassemia, and their variants (see 7.00C ), with: Documented painful (vaso-occlusive) crises requiring parenteral (intravenous or intramuscular) narcotic medication, occurring at least six times within a 12-month period with at least 30 days between crises. OR Complications of hemolytic anemia requiring at least three hospitalizations within a 12-month period and occurring at least 30 days apart. Each hospitalization must last at least 48 hours, which can include hours in a hospital emergency department or comprehensive sickle cell disease center immediately before the hospitalization (see 7.00C2 ) OR Hemoglobin measurements of 7.0 grams per deciliter (g/dL) or less, occurring at least three times within a 12-month period with at least 30 days between measurements. OR Beta thalassemia major requiring life-long RBC transfusions at least once every 6 weeks to maintain life (see 7.00C4 ). 7.06 Chronic thrombocytopenia (due to any cause) , with platelet counts repeatedly below 40,000/ cubic millimeter. With: A. At least one spontaneous hemorrhage, requiring transfusion, within 5 months prior to adjudication; or B. Intracranial bleeding within 12 months prior to adjudication. --> 7.07 Hereditary telangiectasia with hemorrhage requiring transfusion at least three times during the 5 months prior to adjudication. -->
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 7.05. Last synced 2026-05-04.
Where claims under 7.05 usually fail
One frequent miss is using a diagnosis of hemolytic anemia without the qualifying severity timing details, such as six crises within 12 months with at least 30 days between crises for the vaso-occlusive pathway. Another failure mode is counting crises or hospital visits that do not meet the listing rules for treatment or hospitalization duration, such as vaso-occlusive crises that did not require parenteral (IV or IM) narcotic medication, or hospital stays that were shorter than 48 hours (even if an emergency department visit occurred). Some people submit hemoglobin test results but do not match the listing requirement that hemoglobin measurements of 7.0 g/dL or less occur at least three times within a 12-month period with at least 30 days between measurements. A separate pitfall is assuming any thalassemia variant fits the strict beta thalassemia major transfusion pattern, since the listing specifically requires life-long RBC transfusions at least once every 6 weeks to maintain life.
Medical evidence that strengthens this claim
Definitive laboratory documentation matters for establishing the disorder, and SSA looks for a laboratory report signed by a physician, or a laboratory report not signed by a physician paired with a physician report stating the disorder, or a persuasive physician report when the laboratory report is missing but the diagnosis was confirmed by appropriate laboratory analysis with results (or a clear explanation of other diagnostic methods consistent with prevailing clinical practice). For the severity rules, the evidence needs to track counts and timing over 12 months or 5 months, including documentation that painful vaso-occlusive crises required IV or IM narcotic medication and occurred at least six times with at least 30 days between crises. Hospitalization evidence needs the number of hospitalizations within 12 months (at least three) with at least 30 days between them, and each hospitalization must last at least 48 hours, which can include hours in an emergency department or a comprehensive sickle cell disease center immediately before the hospitalization. For the hemoglobin-based
What happens if your records do not meet this listing
If none of the 7.05 severity pathways fit, the claim can still be considered under other ways of evaluating disability that focus on how the medical condition limits work. SSA looks at what activities the person can still do in spite of the condition (residual functional capacity), not only whether a listing was met. If the person cannot perform the basic work-related activities needed for jobs they could otherwise do, a decision may still be reached through that broader disability analysis even when a specific listing like 7.05 is not met.
Work activity and the SGA gate for this condition
For SSDI, working while earning above substantial gainful activity (SGA) can affect whether a claim is considered, regardless of which blood disorder listing is involved. Hemolytic anemia can still qualify under 7.05 only when the required severity criteria are documented, such as vaso-occlusive crises needing IV or IM narcotic medication at least six times in a 12-month period with at least 30 days between crises, or hemoglobin of 7.0 g/dL or less at least three times within a 12-month period with at least 30 days between measurements, or life-long beta thalassemia major requiring RBC transfusions at least once every 6 weeks. If disability is found, the trial work period and extended period of eligibility rules apply after approval based on non-medical work activity rules, while the medical condition continues to be the basis for the decision.
Listing 7.05 FAQ
Questions that come up repeatedly for hemolytic anemias, including sickle cell disease, thalassemia, and their variants disability claims.