SSA Listing 12.00

Mental Disorders: Social Security Disability Listings

Can You Get Social Security Disability for a Mental Health Condition?

Yes. Mental disorders disability claims are judged under section 12.00, which covers depression and bipolar disorder (12.04), anxiety and OCD (12.06), PTSD (12.15), schizophrenia (12.03), autism (12.10) and more. Most listings need a documented diagnosis (paragraph A) plus either an extreme limitation in one, or marked limitations in two, of four areas of mental functioning (paragraph B), or a serious and persistent disorder (paragraph C). If you don't meet a listing, SSA still decides what work you can do. Both SSDI and SSI use these rules.

Reviewed by Michael Rupe ·October 1, 2026

A counselor in a striped shirt and dark turban takes notes on a tablet while talking with a young man in a calm office — Photo: World Sikh Organization of Canada / Pexels

How Mental Disorders Disability Claims Are Judged

Social Security’s Listing of Impairments (the Blue Book) groups mental health conditions in section 12.00. SSA arranges them in 11 categories, from depression and anxiety to schizophrenia, autism and eating disorders.

Every listing starts with a diagnosis, but a diagnosis alone isn’t enough. SSA wants to know how the condition limits the mental skills a person uses at work, day after day. The paragraph A, B and C structure is how it measures that.

The Paragraph a, B and C Structure

SSA’s 12.00 page sets out three paragraphs:

Paragraph A lists the medical criteria: the symptoms and signs that must appear in your medical records.
Paragraph B lists the functional criteria. To satisfy it, your disorder must result in an “extreme” limitation of one, or a “marked” limitation of two, of these four areas of mental functioning: understand, remember, or apply information; interact with others; concentrate, persist, or maintain pace; and adapt or manage oneself.
Paragraph C covers “serious and persistent” mental disorders. You need a medically documented history of the disorder over at least 2 years, plus evidence of both C1 and C2. C1 means you rely on an ongoing basis on medical treatment, mental health therapy, psychosocial supports or a highly structured setting to reduce your symptoms. C2 means that despite those reduced symptoms you have achieved only “marginal adjustment”: your hold on daily life is fragile, and changes or new demands make you worse.

Which paragraphs apply depends on the listing. Listings 12.02, 12.03, 12.04, 12.06 and 12.15 need A and B, or A and C. Listings 12.07, 12.08, 12.10, 12.11 and 12.13 need A and B. Listing 12.05, intellectual disorder, has its own A or B criteria, which require significantly below-average intellectual functioning, significant deficits in current adaptive functioning and evidence the disorder began before age 22.

What Marked and Extreme Mean

SSA rates each area on a five-point scale: none, mild, moderate, marked and extreme. A marked limitation means your functioning in that area, independently, appropriately, effectively and on a sustained basis, is seriously limited. An extreme limitation means you can’t function in that area that way at all. A marked limit in two parts of the same area counts as one area, not two.

Common Mental Health Listings and What SSA Looks for

Listing	Category	Examples SSA names
12.03	Schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders	Schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, delusional disorder
12.04	Depressive, bipolar and related disorders	Major depressive disorder, bipolar I or II, persistent depressive disorder
12.06	Anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders	Generalized anxiety, panic disorder, social anxiety, agoraphobia, OCD
12.10	Autism spectrum disorder	Autism with or without intellectual or language impairment
12.11	Neurodevelopmental disorders	Specific learning disorder, tic disorders such as Tourette syndrome, attention or impulse-control deficits
12.15	Trauma- and stressor-related disorders	Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

SSA’s listing 12.04 looks for a depressed, irritable, elevated or expansive mood, or a loss of interest in almost all activities, that causes a clear decline in functioning. Listing 12.15 looks for the aftermath of experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event, such as flashbacks, avoidance, irritability, sleep problems and an exaggerated startle response.

Evidence SSA Asks for

SSA needs objective medical evidence from an acceptable medical source to establish the diagnosis. Beyond that, it considers records from other providers, including psychiatric nurse practitioners, licensed clinical social workers and clinical mental health counselors.

Strong records show your symptoms, history, exam findings and test results, your medications with their benefits and side effects, the therapy you receive and how your condition changes over time. SSA prefers longitudinal evidence covering months or years.

With your permission, SSA also asks people who know you: family, caregivers, friends, case managers or shelter staff. School records such as IEPs and 504 plans, and notes from employers about changes to your duties or schedule, help too. SSA’s rules recognize that doing well in a highly structured or supportive setting doesn’t necessarily show you could handle a regular workday.

SSA's Mental Disorders Listings (12.00)

SSA listings in section 12.00
Listing	Name
12.02	Neurocognitive disorders
12.03	Schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders
12.04	Depressive, bipolar and related disorders
12.05	Intellectual disorder
12.06	Anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders
12.07	Somatic symptom and related disorders
12.08	Personality and impulse-control disorders
12.10	Autism spectrum disorder
12.11	Neurodevelopmental disorders
12.13	Eating disorders
12.15	Trauma- and stressor-related disorders

For children, SSA uses section 112.00 (Mental Disorders), with 12 listings. See childhood conditions.

From SSA's Listing of Impairments (ssa.gov), checked October 2, 2026.

If You Don’t Meet a Mental Health Listing

Many people are approved without meeting a listing. SSA’s rules say not meeting a listing doesn’t mean you aren’t disabled; it moves your claim to the next steps.

SSA sets your residual functional capacity (RFC), the most you can still do. For mental conditions, that includes how well you follow instructions, handle coworkers and stay on pace. At step four SSA asks whether you can do your past work. At step five it weighs your RFC with your age, education and work experience to see whether you can adjust to other work. At step one, earning more than $1,690 a month in 2026 (the non-blind substantial gainful activity level) means you aren’t disabled under SSA’s rules. The disability requirements guide walks through each step.

SSI, Supplemental Security Income, is the needs-based program. Its federal payment standard is $994 a month for an individual in 2026. SSDI vs SSI explains which one fits your work history.

Compassionate Allowances and Mental Disorders

Compassionate Allowances (CAL) are conditions that by definition meet SSA’s standards, so SSA decides them quickly, and it uses the same CAL rules for SSDI and SSI. The entries closest to this section are dementias, which SSA’s neurocognitive category (12.02) covers: Young-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease, Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD), Pick’s Disease -Type A - Adult, Lewy Body Dementia and Mixed Dementias, plus Primary Progressive Aphasia. Some are judged under neurological disorders instead.

Children: Section 112.00

Children’s claims use section 112.00, which has 12 categories. All apply from age 3 to 18 except 112.14, developmental disorders in infants and toddlers, which covers birth to age 3. SSA measures a child’s limits against what other children the same age can do. See SSI for children and the childhood conditions guide.

ADA Accommodations for Mental Health

If you want to keep working, you can ask your employer for changes that help. The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) lists these for mental health conditions:

noise-canceling headsets, cubicle shields and written instructions for concentration;
flexible schedules, modified breaks and telework for fatigue, stress and sleep problems;
job coaches, checklists, reminders and electronic organizers for memory and time management;
private rest areas, support animals, counseling time and employee assistance programs.

For PTSD, JAN adds white noise machines, task rotation, recorded directives and support persons. The workplace accommodations guide explains how to ask, and your rights under the ADA covers the law.

What to Do Next

Start with the free disability eligibility screener, then follow how to apply. If SSA says no, you have 60 days from receiving the notice to appeal; see the appeals guide. Browse every body system on the conditions page.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Much Does SSI Pay for a Mental Health Disability?

SSI's federal payment standard is $994 a month for an individual and $1,491 for a couple in 2026. Other income lowers it, and your countable resources must stay at or under $2,000 ($3,000 for a couple). The SSI payment estimator shows how income changes the amount.

Can You Get Short-Term Disability for Mental Health?

Short-term disability is a different kind of program from Social Security. Some states run their own short-term programs with their own rules. See state disability insurance programs for the states that run one.

Do I Need to Be Hospitalized to Qualify?

No. SSA's 12.00 rules look at how independently, appropriately, effectively and on a sustained basis you function, and they count the support, structure and treatment that help you get by. Being able to do some routine activities without help does not by itself mean you aren't disabled.

What if I Can Only Work for a Few Weeks at a Time?

SSA's 12.00 rules say it won't find you able to work just because you had a period of improvement, and it considers whether you can work 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, or an equivalent schedule. Records showing the pattern of your flare-ups and recoveries matter.

How Do VA Ratings for Mental Health Relate to Social Security?

They are separate systems with separate decisions. A VA rating doesn't decide your Social Security claim, but VA records can be evidence in it. See how VA disability ratings work.

Can a Licensed Counselor's Records Help My Claim?

Yes. SSA considers evidence from physicians, psychologists and other medical sources, including physician assistants, psychiatric nurse practitioners, licensed clinical social workers and clinical mental health counselors.

Other Body Systems in SSA's Listings

This page explains SSA's published rules. It isn't medical or legal advice; SSA decides each claim from your records.