Here are examples of physical and mental conditions of disabled Adults and Children that the Social Security Administration (SSA) considers. To determine if you or your child could be found disabled by meeting the criteria set forth in SSA’s Medical Listings of Impairments, click the link for each category below:
Medical Listings of Impairments for Adults
Musculoskeletal system
Arthritis, herniated nucleus pulposus of the lumbar, thoracic, cervical spine, spinal arachnoiditis, spinal stenosis, osteoarthritis, degenerative disc disease, facet arthritis vertebral fracture, amputations, fractures, complications from hip/knee/ankle surgeries, or burns
Special senses and speech
Loss of vision, Meniere’s disease, hearing not restorable by a hearing aid or loss of speech
Respiratory system
Asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cystic fibrosis, pneumoconiosis, bronchiectasis, chronic persistent infections of the lung, cor pulmonale secondary to chronic pulmonary vascular hypertension, sleep apnea or lung transplant
Cardiovasular system
Congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease, heart attacks, defribillators, recurrent arrhythmias, symptomatic congenital heart disease, heart transplant, aneurysm of aorta or major branches, chronic venous insufficiency, peripheral arterial disease
Digestive system
Gastrointestinal hemorrhaging, chronic liver disease, Crohn’s Disease, inflammatory bowel disease, short bowel syndrome, weight loss due to any digestive disorder or liver transplantation
Genitourinary impairments
Chronic renal disease or nephrotic syndrome
Hematological disorders
Chronic anemia, sickle cell disease, chronic thrombocytopenia, hereditary telangiectasia, hemophilia, polycythemia vera, myelofibrosis, chronic granulocytopenia, or aplastic anemias with bone marrow or stem cell transplantation
Skin disorders
Ichthyosis, bullous disease, chronic infections of the skin or mucous membranes, dermatitis, burns, hidradenitis suppurativa, genetic photosensitivity disorders or burns
Endocrine system
Hyperparathyroidism, hypoparathyroidism, neurohypophyseal insufficiency (diabetes insipidus), hyperfunction of the adrenal cortex, diabetes mellitus with neuropathy or acidosis or retinitis proliferans
Impairments that affect multiple body systems
Non-mosaic Down syndrome
Neurological
Convulsive epilepsy (grand mal seizures or psychomotor), nonconvulsive epilepsy (petit mal seizures, psychomotor seizures, or focal), strokes, benign brain tumors, parkinsonian syndrome, cerebral palsy, spinal cord or nerve root lesions due to any cause, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, anterior poliomyelitis, myasthenia gravis, muscular dystrophy, peripheral neuropathies, subacute combined cord degeneration (pernicious anemia), degenerative disease not listed elsewhere, such as Huntington’s Chorea, Friedreich’s Ataxia, and spino-cerebellar degeneration, cerebral trauma, syringomyelia
Mental disorders
Organic mental disorders, mental retardation, affective disorders such as depression or bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, paranoid and other psychotic disorders, anxiety, PTSD, personality disorders, or somatoform disorders
Malignant Neoplastic Diseases
Lymphoma, leukemia, macroglobulinemia or heavy chain disease, bilateral primary breast cancer, carcinoma-in-situ, brain tumors, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, or chronic phase of CML, other malignancies. Allogeneic or autologous bone marrow or stem cell transplantation, graft-versus-host (GVH) disease, immunosuppressant therapy, such as frequent infections, or significant deterioration of other organ systems
Immune system disorders
Lupus, systemic vasculitis, systemic sclerosis (scleroderma), Raynaud’s Phenomenon, polymyositis and dermatomyositis, undifferentiated and mixed connective tissue disease, immune deficiency disorders, HIV infection, stem cell transplantation, repeated manifestations of an immune deficiency disorder, inflammatory arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Sjögren’s syndrome, fibromyalgia, or chronic fatigue syndrome
Medical Listings of Impairments for Children
Growth impairment
Height or bone age
Musculoskeletal System
Major dysfunction of a joint(s), reconstructive surgery or surgical arthrodesis of a major weight-bearing joint, disorders of the spine, amputation, fracture of the femur, tibia, pelvis, or one or more of the tarsal bones or upper arms, or soft tissue injury such as burns
Special Senses and Speech
Loss of visual acuity, contraction of the visual field in the better eye, loss of visual efficiency, or hearing impairments.
Respiratory System
Chronic pulmonary insufficiency, asthma, cystic fibrosis, lung transplant
Cardiovascular System
Chronic heart failure, recurrent arrhythmias, congenital heart disease, heart transplant, rheumatic heart disease
Digestive System
Gastrointestinal hemorrhaging requiring blood transfusion, chronic liver disease, inflammatory bowel disease, short bowel syndrome, malnutrition, liver transplantation, or need for supplemental daily enteral feeding via a gastrostomy
Genitourinary Impairments
Impairment of renal function, nephrotic syndrome, or congenital genitourinary impairments
Hematological Disorders
Hemolytic anemia, sickle cell disease, chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura of childhood, inherited coagulation disorder
Skin Disorders
Ichthyosis, bullous disease, chronic infections of the skin or mucous membranes, dermatitis, hidradenitis suppurativa, genetic photosensitivity disorders, or burns
Endocrine System
Hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, hyperparathyroidism, hypoparathyroidism, pseudohypoparathyroidism, diabetes insipidus, hyperfunction of the adrenal cortex, adrenal cortical insufficiency, juvenile diabetes mellitus, iatrogenic hypercorticoid state, pituitary dwarfism , adrenogenital syndrome, hypoglycemia, or gonadal dysgenesis (Turner’s syndrome)
Impairments that Affect Multiple Body Systems
Non-mosaic Down syndrome or catastrophic congenital abnormality or disease
Neurological
Major motor seizure disorder, nonconvulsive epilepsy, benign brain tumors, motor dysfunction, cerebral palsy, meningomyelocele, or communication impairment associated with documented neurological disorder
Mental Disorders
Organic mental disorders, schizophrenic, delusional (paranoid), schizoaffective, and other psychotic disorders, mood disorder, depression, bipolar disorder, mental retardation, anxiety disorders, somatoform, eating, and tic disorders, personality disorders, autistic disorder and other pervasive developmental disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, developmental and emotional disorders of newborn and younger infants
Malignant Neoplastic Diseases
Malignant solid tumors, lymphoma (excluding T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma),leukemia, thyroid gland, retinoblastoma, brain tumors, neuroblastoma
Immune System Disorders
Systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic vasculitis, systemic sclerosis (scleroderma), polymyositis and dermatomyositis, undifferentiated and mixed connective tissue disease, immune deficiency disorders, excluding HIV infection, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection with bacterial infections or fungal infections or protozoan or helminthic infections or viral infections or malignant neoplasms or conditions of the skin or mucous membranes or neurological manifestations or growth disturbance or diarrhea or lymphoid interstitial pneumonia/pulmonary lymphoid hyperplasia or sepsis or meningitis or pneumonia or septic arthritis or endocarditis or sinusitis documented by appropriate medically acceptable imaging or miscellaneous manifestations or inflammatory arthritis or Sjögren’s syndrome.