The Social Security Administration (“Social Security”) uses some unique tools to determine whether you are eligible for some benefits. For example, you must have a disabling medical condition to qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). But how does Social Security make this important decision? One of the most important tools they use is the Listing of Impairments.
This comprehensive list is split into 14 categories. Each category covers different conditions, as well as the evidence needed to prove that a condition is disabling. In this article, we will be looking at the Adult Listings. Childhood diseases are covered in a separate listing of impairments.
#1. 1.00 Musculoskeletal Systems
This category covers bones, muscles, tendons, nerves, and ligaments. The Listing of Impairments first notes that these disorders can be caused by “hereditary, congenital, or acquired pathologic processes.” Some things that could cause a person to be impaired include: “infectious, inflammatory, or degenerative processes, traumatic or developmental events.”
#2. Special Senses and Speech
Social Security might use this category if you have vision disorders, blindness, loss of speech, and hearing loss. Other disorders involve issues with maintaining your balance and tinnitus.
#3. Respiratory Disorders in the Listing of Impairments
This category covers conditions that affect your ability to move air in or out of your lungs. Some of the diseases covered include cystic fibrosis, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lung transplants.
#4. Cardiovascular Systems
Cardiovascular disorders affect the heart and circulatory system, including arteries, veins, and lymph glands. This category of the Listing of Impairments covers a wide range of conditions, including chronic heart failure, myocardial ischemia, heart transplant, and aneurysms.
#5. Digestive Systems Covered by the Listing of Impairments
This system relates to your complete digestive system, including bowel diseases, malnutrition, and liver dysfunction.
#6. Genitourinary Disorders
This category primarily covers chronic kidney disease.
#7. Hematological Disorders
This section covers non-malignant disorders related to the blood, including hemolytic anemias, bone marrow failure, and leukemia.
#8. Skin Disorders Included in the Listing of Impairments
In addition to diseases of the skin, this category includes dermatitis and burns.
#9. Endocrine Disorders
This type of disorder relates to hormonal imbalances. For example, the endocrine system includes the following glands: pituitary, thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal, and pancreas.
#10. Congenital Disorders
Conditions listed in the section existed from birth (congenital). Many disorders affect multiple body systems, like non-mosaic Down syndrome.
#11. Neurological Disorders in the Listing of Impairments
This category covers conditions related to the nervous system, including the brain and spinal cord. These conditions often limit people in both physical and mental ways.
#12. Mental Disorders
Within this category, there are 11 subcategories. However, the conditions all affect a person’s mental abilities.
#13. Cancer Appears on the Listing of Impairments
Social Security also refers to cancer as “malignant neoplastic diseases.” Some cancers are also evaluated under other sections of the Listing of Impairments.
#14. Immune System Disorders
These conditions relate to your body’s immune system. There are three categories: 1) autoimmune disorders, 2) immune deficiency disorders, and HIV infections.
Ask a Disability Lawyer about the Listing of Impairments
Social Security Administration rules and regulations are not easy to understand. It can help to have someone on your side. The attorneys at The Law Offices of Martin Taller have more than 50 years’ experience assisting clients like you. For a free consultation, call us at 714-385-8100. Though our office is located in Anaheim, we assist clients throughout Southern California.
