Each section of the Listing of Impairments has a general introduction containing definitions
of key concepts used in that section. Certain specific medical findings, some of which
are required in establishing a diagnosis or in confirming the existence of an impairment
for the purpose of this listing, are also given in the narrative introduction. If
the medical findings needed to support a diagnosis are not given in the introduction
or elsewhere in the listing, the diagnosis must still be established on the basis
of medically acceptable clinical and laboratory diagnostic techniques.
Following the introduction in each section, the required level of severity of impairment
is shown under "Category of Impairments" by one or more sets of medical findings.
The medical findings consist of symptoms, signs, and laboratory findings.
SSA does not consider an impairment to be one listed in Appendix 1 solely because
it has the diagnosis of a listed impairment. It must also have the findings shown
in the listing of that impairment.
Example:
A condition diagnosed as addiction to alcohol or drugs, will not, by itself, be a
basis for determining whether a claimant is, or is not, disabled. As with any other
medical condition, we will decide if the disability is based on symptoms, signs, and
laboratory findings.