Endocrine Disorders Removed from Social Security's List of Disabling Impairments

On June 7, 2011  the Social Security Administration (SSA) eliminated all adult impairment listings for endocrine disorders and most of the children's endocrine listings.  Endocrine disorders include diabetes,  hypoglycemia and thyroid disorders.

Social Security Listings describe medical conditions that Social Security feels are so severe that it presumes any person who has a medical condition(s) that satisfies the criteria of a listing is unable to perform any gainful activity and, therefore, is disabled.  Thus, the listings are special rules that provide Social Security with a mechanism to identify claims that should clearly be allowed. Social Security uses listings only to allow claims.  It does not deny any claim solely because a person's medical condition or conditions do not satisfy a listing.

The Social Security Administration has decided to take this action because it feels that medical science has made significant advances in detecting endocrine disorders at earlier stages and newer treatments have resulted in better management of these conditions.  Also, Social Security feels that most endocrine disorders do not reach listing-level severity because they do not become sufficiently severe or do not remain at a sufficient level of severity long enough to meet Social Security's twelve-month duration requirement. 

These changes do not mean that Social Security will ignore any damaging effects of an endocrine disorder.  In those cases, evaluation will be done under other impairment listings that are appropriate for the complications.  For example, diabetes mellitus in adults or children may result in peripheral nerve damage.  A person with such damage would be evaluated under the neurological listings; similarly, retinopathy (damage to the retina) would be evaluated under the listings for visual loss. 

Changes in the endocrine listing does not affect those who are already receiving benefits under this listing.  When reviewing continuing disability claims, Social Security must consider a person's qualification under the "old" endocrine listing as if it is still valid.

All child listings for endocrine disorders are also being removed, except for one listing for children younger than six years old, who have diabetes mellitus that requires daily insulin.  In these cases, Social Security presumes the presence of disability and no further proof is needed.

For more information on these changes in the listings, please click here. 

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