Visual Disorders

Medical Listings

Visual Disorders

We are revising the criteria in the Listing of Impairments (the listings) that we use to

evaluate claims involving visual disorders at the third step of our sequential evaluation

processes for adults and children under title II and title XVI of the Social Security Act

(the Act). The revisions reflect our program experiences and advances in medical

knowledge, treatment, and methods of evaluating visual disorders. There are listings for

adults (part A) and for children (part B). If an individual is age 18 or over, we apply the

listings in part A when we assess the claim, and we never use the listings in part B. If an

individual is under age 18, we first use the criteria in part B of the listings. If the listings

in part B do not apply, and the specific disease process(es) has a similar effect on adult s

and children, we then use the criteria in part A. These revisions will remain in effect for 8 years after the date they become effective, unless we extend them, or revise and issue

them again.

SSA's regulations provide for sequential evaluation processes for evaluating disability.

We apply the listings at step three of the sequential evaluation processes for adults and

for children. First, we must determine that the claimant is not engaging in substantial

gainful activity, and, second, that he or she has a medically determinable impairment or

combination of impairment(s) that is "severe”. Then, at step 3 of both processes, we use

the listings to determine if the claimant has an impairment(s) that meets or equals in

severity the criteria of a listed impairment.

We reviewed the existing listings for visual disorders and determined that they needed to

be revised in light of medical advances in evaluation and treatment. We last published

final rules making comprehensive revisions to part A, the special senses and speech

listings, in the FEDERAL REGISTER on March 27, 1979 (44 FR 18170) and final rules

making revisions to the part B special senses and speech listings on March 16, 1977 (4 2

FR 14705). (The listings for visual disorders are included in the special senses and speech body system. We intend to publish separately proposed rules that would update the other listings in this body system.)

We published a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) in the FEDERAL REGISTER on

August 17, 2005 (70 FR 48342), proposing changes to the listings for visual disorders in

Part A, 2.00 and Part B, 102 .00. We provided a 60-day comment period for this NPRM.

None of the comments received addressed the public reporting burden .Part A, 2.00 and Part B, 102 .00 regarding the types of evidence SSA needs to make a disability

determination; e.g., laboratory test results, clinical findings, and summary of medical

reports. SSA and State Disability Determination Services use various forms to collect

medical documentation and evidence. We published a final rule on November 20, 2006 at 71 FR 67037.

These forms/requirements are cleared under individual OMB numbers. While SSA has revised Section 2 .00 and 102 .00, the information collection requirements/forms have not changed. In addition, we have not increased the annual reporting burden for this collection because the burden is accounted for in the forms information collection requests (ICR). Therefore, we use a 1-hour placeholder for the "Listings" ICR.