List of Impairments per SSA Blue Book

Medical Impairments that Qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) Benefits

SSA has identified impairments within 14 major body systems that are considered severe enough to prevent someone from doing “gainful activity,” which means work that earns income. Most of these conditions are permanent, and could result in death.

SSA’s publication, “Disability Evaluation under Social Security,” also known as the “Blue Book” lists these SSA-qualifying conditions.

The Blue Book is prepared to help health care professionals understand SSA’s disability determination process so that they can provide the medical information required to help SSA make decisions on disability claims.

Here is the list of impairments per the SSA Blue Book to help you identify if you could qualify for disability benefits.

Keep in mind that if your medical condition is not listed as an SSA-qualifying condition, you could still receive disability benefits if you can prove that your disability has made it impossible for you to work. SSA also considers your work history, skills, age and education to determine eligibility.

A Freedom Disability Advocate can help determine if you could be eligible for disability benefits.

List of Impairments per the SSA Blue Book

1. Musculoskeletal System

   Major dysfunction of a joint; reconstructive surgery of a major weight-bearing joint; disorders of the spine; amputation; fractures of the femur, tibia, pelvis, or tarsal bones; fracture of an upper extremity; soft tissue injury; arthritis

2. Special Senses and Speech

   Visual disorders; hearing impairments; loss of speech

3. Respiratory System

   Chronic pulmonary disease; ventilator y disease; asthma; cystic fibrosis; pneumoconiosis; bronchiectasis; chronic lung infections; sleep-related breathing disorders; lung transplant

4. Cardiovascular System

   Disorders that affect the proper functioning of the heart or circulatory system: chronic heart failure; ischemic heart disease; recurrent arrhythmias; symptomatic congenital heart disease; heart transplant; aneurysm of aorta or major branches; chronic venous insufficiency; peripheral arterial disease

5. Digestive System

   Gastrointestinal hemorrhaging requiring blood transfusion; chronic liver disease; inflammatory bowel disease; short bowel syndrome; weight loss due to any digestive disorder; liver transplant

6. Genitourinary Impairments

   Chronic renal (kidney) disease

7. Hematological Disorders

   Blood disorders such as chronic anemia; sickle cell disease; chronic thrombocytopenia (low platelet count); hereditary telangiectasia (small dilated blood vessels); coagulation defects such as hemophilia; bone marrow disorders; chronic granulocytopenia; aplastic anemias with bone marrow or stem cell transplantation

8. Skin Disorders

   Ichthyosis; bullous disease; chronic infections of the skin or mucous membranes; dermatitis; inflammatory disease of the apocrine sweat glands; genetic photosensitivity disorders; burns

9. Endocrine System

   Thyroid disorders; diabetes insipidus (water diabetes); hyper-function of the adrenal cortex; diabetes mellitus (sugar diabetes)

10. Impairments that Affect Multiple Body Systems

    Non-mosaic Down syndrome

11. Neurological

    Convulsive epilepsy (grand mal or psychomotor); non-convulsive epilepsy (petit mal, psychomotor, or focal); central nervous system vascular accident; brain tumors; Parkinsonian syndrome; cerebral palsy; spinal cord or nerve root lesions; multiple sclerosis; amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease); myasthenia gravis; muscular dystrophy; peripheral neuropathies; sub acute combined cord degeneration; degenerative disease; cerebral trauma; syringomyelia; stroke

12. Mental Disorders

    Psychological or behavioral abnormalities associated with the dysfunction of the brain (organic mental disorders); schizophrenic, paranoid and other psychotic disorders; affective disorders; mental retardation; anxiety-related disorders; somatoform (physical symptoms) disorders; personality disorders; substance addiction disorders; autistic disorder; other developmental disorders; Alzheimer’s

13. Malignant Neoplastic Diseases

    Soft tissue tumors of the head and neck; skin; soft tissue sarcoma; lymphoma; leukemia; multiple myeloma; salivary glands; thyroid gland; breast; skeletal system-sarcoma; maxilla, orbit or temporal fossa; nervous system; lungs; luera or mediastinum; esophagus or stomach; small intestine; large intestine; liver or gallbladder; pancreas; kidneys, adrenal glands, or ureters carcinoma; urinary bladder carcinoma; cancers of the female genital tract; testicles; penis; metastatic carcinoma or sarcoma; malignant neoplastic diseases treated by bone marrow or stem cell transplantation

14. Immune System Disorders

    Systemic lupus erythematosus; systemic vasculitis; systemic sclerosis; polymyositis and dermatomyositis; undifferentiated and mixed connective tissue disease; immune deficiency disorders (excluding HIV infections); human immunodeficiency(HIV) infection; inflammatory arthritis; Sjogren’s syndrome; Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS)