Can You Qualify for Social Security Disability Benefits for Chronic Pulmonary Insufficiency? Yes! Use SSA Listing 3.02
Breathing is something that pretty much all of us take for granted. But for people who suffer from chronic pulmonary insufficiency, taking breath for granted isn’t an option. When you suffer from this type of condition, every breath can be a strain, and you often find yourself wheezing even after only a minor amount of physical exertion.
Everyday tasks can require extreme effort, and trying to work a normal eight-hour day and 40-hour work week just isn’t possible. The SSA realizes this and has included chronic pulmonary insufficiency in their Listing of Impairments. This compendium has definitions for every recognized disorder, as well as descriptions of criteria that you need to meet for each one. If you can meet these criteria, you automatically qualify to receive benefits.
What if you can’t meet the criteria? Luckily, there’s a second method you can use to qualify. It involves proving equivalency and the Five Step Sequential Evaluation Process, but it’s quite a bit more complicated than simply meeting the Listing requirements, so that should always be the first thing you try.
Chronic Pulmonary Insufficiency – SSA Criteria for Benefits
Requirements for Listing 3.02 are very specific and in-depth. You have to prove that you meet one of the following three criteria:
- You have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and your forced expiratory volume (FEV) is equal or less than the values here:
| TABLE I | |
| HEIGHT W/O SHOES (INCHES) | FEV (EQUAL TO OR LESS THAN) |
| 60 or less | 1.05 |
| 61-63 | 1.15 |
| 64-65 | 1.25 |
| 66-67 | 1.35 |
| 68-69 | 1.45 |
| 70-71 | 1.55 |
| 72 or more | 1.65 |
- You have chronic restrictive ventilator disease, and your forced vital capacity (FVC) is equal to or less than the values here:
| TABLE II | |
| HEIGHT W/O SHOES (INCHES) | FCV (EQUAL TO OR LESS THAN) |
| 60 or less | 1.05 |
| 61-63 | 1.35 |
| 64-65 | 1.45 |
| 66-67 | 1.55 |
| 68-69 | 1.65 |
| 70-71 | 1.75 |
| 72 or more | 1.85 |
- Your clinically documented pulmonary disease has caused chronic gas exchange impairment with:
- Single breath DLCO (diffusing capacity of the lungs for carbon monoxide) that is less than 40 percent of the predicted normal value or less than 10. ml/min/mmHg; or
- Simultaneously determined arterial blood gas values of PCO2 and PO2 that are measured on two or more occasions, at least three weeks apart over a 6-month period, while you are at rest in a clinically stable condition and are equal to or less than the following values:
| TABLE III-A (for test sites less than 3,000 feet above sea level) | |
| Arterial PCO2 (mm Hg) | Arterial PO2 Equal to or Less than (mm Hg) |
| 30 or below | 65 |
| 31 | 64 |
| 32 | 63 |
| 33 | 62 |
| 34 | 61 |
| 35 | 60 |
| 36 | 59 |
| 37 | 58 |
| 38 | 57 |
| 39 | 56 |
| 40 or above | 55 |
| TABLE III-B (for test sites 3,000-6,000 feet above sea level) | |
| Arterial PCO2 (mm Hg) | Arterial PO2 Equal to or Less than (mm Hg) |
| 30 or below | 60 |
| 31 | 59 |
| 32 | 58 |
| 33 | 57 |
| 34 | 56 |
| 35 | 55 |
| 36 | 54 |
| 37 | 53 |
| 38 | 52 |
| 39 | 51 |
| 40 or above | 50 |
| TABLE III-C (for test sites over 6,000 feet above sea level) | |
| Arterial PCO2 (mm Hg) | Arterial PO2 equal to or less than (mm Hg) |
| 30 or below | 55 |
| 31 | 54 |
| 32 | 53 |
| 33 | 52 |
| 34 | 51 |
| 35 | 50 |
| 36 | 49 |
| 37 | 48 |
| 38 | 47 |
| 39 | 46 |
| 40 or above | 45 |
c. Simultaneously determined arterial blood gas values of PCO2 and PO2 during “steady state exercise breathing room air” that is equal to or less than the specified values in Tables III-A-C, when the level of exercise is equal to or less than 5 METs or 17.5 ml O2 consumption/kg/min.
Confused? Sometimes, even with very specific criteria, it’s not completely clear what you need to do. That’s why it’s always better to work with a knowledgeable Social Security disability lawyer who has handled chronic pulmonary insufficiency cases like yours before and understands the process.
To help your case, it’s a good idea to learn which tests the SSA accepts for your particular condition and make sure that you ask for them. For Listing 3.02, these include:
- Arterial Blood Gas Study (ABGS), Resting
- Functional Residual Capacity (FRC)
- BODE Index
- Peak Expiratory Flow
- Bronchial Challenge Test
- Sputum Collection
- Bronchoscopy
- Serum Surfactant Protein A
- Carbon Dioxide Challenge Test
- Ventilation-Perfusion (V-P) Lung Scans
- Carbon Monoxide Diffusing Capacity (DLCO)
- Spirometry
- Chest X ray (CXR)
- Thoracic Gas Volume (TGV)
- Computerized Tomographic (CT) Scanning of the Chest
- Lung Subdivisions
- Pulse Oximetry
Getting positive results on any of these tests can help your case and get you the benefits you need – as long as you meet the criteria.
But what if you can’t?
For a free legal consultation, call 800-562-9830
Using the Five Step Sequential Evaluation Process in Chronic Pulmonary Insufficiency Claims
Not everyone meets the very specific criteria in the Listing of Impairments. If you are unable to do so, don’t forget that you can still use the Five Step Sequential Evaluation Process.
Because this process is quite a bit more complicated than simply matching a listing, you will likely need to work with a knowledgeable Social Security disability lawyers as soon as possible. Despite the complexity of the process, it can be well worth the effort to get the benefits you need to put your life back on track.
Learn even more about the claims process by reading our Social Security Disability eBook for free and be sure to check back weekly for more information on how you can get the Social Security disability benefits that you deserve.
Call or text 800-562-9830 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
