Step 3: Is the claimants condition a Listed Impairment?
Step 3 asks if the impairment meets or equals a medical “listing.” The Social Security Administration uses more than 150 categories of medical conditions, called “listings.” These listed conditions are considered severe enough to preclude a person from working or to permit a finding of entitlement to SSI Childhood Disability benefits. If a claimant meets or “equals” a listing, benefits will be granted, unless the claimant is engaging in substantial gainful work activity. However, the absence of a listing-level impairment does not mean the individual is not disabled. Rather, it merely requires the person making the disability determination to move on to Step 4 of the process and apply other rules in order to resolve the issue of disability.
