At step three of the Five-Step Sequential Evaluation Process, the SSA must determine whether the applicant’s impairment or combination of impairments is severe enough to “meet or medically equal” the criteria of an impairment specifically listed in the Federal Regulations. These are commonly known as “the listings.” If the applicant’s impairment or combination of impairments is severe enough to meet or medically equal the criteria of a listing, and also meets the duration requirement, the applicant is automatically considered disabled, without regard to whether or not he or she is able to perform his or her past work or any other work.
The Listing of Impairments – Adult Listings (Part A) contain the following 14 general categories:
- Musculoskeletal System
- Special Senses and Speech
- Respiratory Disorders
- Cardiovascular System
- Digestive System
- Genitourinary Disorders
- Hematological Disorders
- Skin Disorders
- Endocrine Disorders
- Congenital Disorders that Affect Multiple Body Systems
- Neurological Disorders
- Mental Disorders
- Cancer (Malignant Neoplastic Disease)
- Immune System Disorders
Almost all the categories named above have multiple listings for specific diseases. For example, category 4.0, “Cardiovascular System,” contains the following 11 specific listings:
4.02 Chronic Heart Failure
4.04 Ischemic Heart Disease
4.05 Recurrent Arrhythmias
4.06 Symptomatic Congenital Heart Disease
4.09 Heart Transplant
4.10 Aneurysm of Aorta or Major Branches
4.11 Chronic Venous Insufficiency
4.12 Peripheral Arterial Disease
The listings have multiple strict criteria. A claimant “meets” a listing if he or she satisfies all criteria stated in the listing. A claimant can “equal” a listing if he or she does not quite satisfy all the requirements of that listing but, nonetheless, can show that his or her impairment is equivalent in severity to an impairment that does satisfy all the requirements. If a claimant either “meets” or “equals” any of the listings he or she will be automatically found disabled regardless whether they are able to perform their past work or any other work.
In reality, however, very few cases are severe enough to meet or equal a listing. The standards are simply way too high for most claimants. In most cases, claimants have to go on and prove that their impairments prevent them from performing their past work or any other that exists in significant numbers in the national economy.