Low Birth Weight And Failure To Thrive Listings

Social Security’s listings of impairments not only apply to adults for the sake of disability benefits, but also to children. Because children are not expected to work, Social Security looks at childhood impairments differently than adult listings. The listings for small children and infants focus on a number of things, but mainly birth weight and how a child thrives. We have not touched on these listings prior, but it is important to know these listings exist for the purposes of Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

100.01 Category of Impairments, Low Birth Weight and Failure to Thrive

100.04 Low birth weight in infants from birth to attainment of age 1.

  1. Birth weight (see 100.00B) of less than 1200 grams.

OR

  1. The following gestational age and birth weight:

Gestational Age (in weeks)                                       Birth Weight

37-40                                                                           2000 grams or less

36                                                                                1875 grams or less

35                                                                                1700 grams or less

34                                                                                1500 grams or less

33                                                                                1325 grams or less

32                                                                                1250 grams or less

100.05 Failure to thrive in children from birth to attainment of age 3 (see 100.00C), documented by A and B, or A and C.

  1. Growth failure as required in 1 or 2:
  2. For children from birth to attainment of age 2, three weight-for-length measurements that are:
  3. Within a consecutive 12-month period; and
  4. At least 60 days apart; and
  5. Less than the third percentile on the appropriate weight-for-length table under 105.08B1; or
  6. For children age 2 to attainment of age 3, three BMI-for-age measurements that are:
  7. Within a consecutive 12-month period; and
  8. At least 60 days apart; and
  9. Less than the third percentile on the appropriate BMI-for-age table under 105.08B2.

AND

  1. Developmental delay (see 100.00C1 and C3), established by an acceptable medical source and documented by findings from one current report of a standardized developmental assessment (see 100.00C3b) that:
  2. Shows development not more than two-thirds of the level typically expected for the child’s age; or
  3. Results in a valid score that is at least two standard deviations below the mean.

OR

  1. Developmental delay (see 100.03C3), established by an acceptable medical source and documented by findings from two narrative developmental reports (see 100.00C3c) that:
  2. Are dated at least 120 days apart (see 100.00C1); and
  3. Indicate current development not more than two-thirds of the level typically expected for the child’s age.