A previous post informed that Social Security recently approved new listings related to mental disorders. These listings are used in evaluating disability claims. For those who do not know, Social Security’s listings are a set of medical impairments, both physical and mental, qualifying someone for disability benefits based on the severity of the condition and how the impairment impacts an individual’s functioning. We are going to look more in-depth at each listing beginning with the listing for Intellectual Disability 12.05. For each listing we will provide Social Security’s current listing for the impairment followed by the new listing, which will take effect January 17, 2017 and look at the major differences between the two listings. A huge factor of this listing relates to the full scale IQ scores in the old and new listing. The new listing is somewhat more favorable than the old listing as higher IQ scores would qualify to meet the listing.
Current 12.05 Listing
12.05 Intellectual disability: Intellectual disability refers to significantly subaverage general intellectual functioning with deficits in adaptive functioning initially manifested during the developmental period; i.e., the evidence demonstrates or supports onset of the impairment before age 22.
The required level of severity for this disorder is met when the requirements in A, B, C, or D are satisfied.
- Mental incapacity evidenced by dependence upon others for personal needs (e.g., toileting, eating, dressing, or bathing) and inability to follow directions, such that the use of standardized measures of intellectual functioning is precluded;
OR
- A valid verbal, performance, or full scale IQ of 59 or less;
OR
- A valid verbal, performance, or full scale IQ of 60 through 70 and a physical or other mental impairment imposing an additional and significant work-related limitation of function;
OR
- A valid verbal, performance, or full scale IQ of 60 through 70, resulting in at least two of the following:
- Marked restriction of activities of daily living; or
- Marked difficulties in maintaining social functioning; or
- Marked difficulties in maintaining concentration, persistence, or pace; or
- Repeated episodes of decompensation, each of extended duration.
New 12.05 Listing
12.05 Intellectual disorder(see 12.00B4), satisfied by A or B:
- Satisfied by 1, 2, and 3 (see 12.00H):
- Significantly subaverage general intellectual functioning evident in your cognitive inability to function at a level required to participate in standardized testing of intellectual functioning; and
- Significant deficits in adaptive functioning currently manifested by your dependence upon others for personal needs (for example, toileting, eating, dressing, or bathing); and
- The evidence about your current intellectual and adaptive functioning and about the history of your disorder demonstrates or supports the conclusion that the disorder began prior to your attainment of age 22.
- Satisfied by 1, 2, and 3 (see 12.00H):
- Significantly subaverage general intellectual functioning evidenced by a or b:
- A full scale (or comparable) IQ score of 70 or below on an individually administered standardized test of general intelligence;
or
- A full scale (or comparable) IQ score of 71-75 accompanied by a verbal or performance IQ score (or comparable part score) of 70 or below on an individually administered standardized test of general intelligence; and
- Significant deficits in adaptive functioning currently manifested by extreme limitation of one, or marked limitation of two, of the following areas of mental functioning:
- Understand, remember, or apply information (see 12.00E1); or
- Interact with others (see 12.00E2); or
- Concentrate, persist, or maintain pace (see 12.00E3); or
- Adapt or manage oneself (see 12.00E4); and
- The evidence about your current intellectual and adaptive functioning and about the history of your disorder demonstrates or supports the conclusion that the disorder began prior to your attainment of age 22.
