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Listing 3.02

Chronic Respiratory Disorders

This listing covers long-term breathing problems from any cause except cystic fibrosis, such as COPD (chronic bronchitis and emphysema), pulmonary fibrosis, pneumoconiosis, severe asthma, chronic lung infections, and bronchiectasis.

Read the full plain-language explanation

SSA looks for one of four things: very low breathing test numbers (FEV1 or FVC on spirometry), proof that your lungs cannot move oxygen into the blood well (DLCO, arterial blood gas, or pulse oximetry results at listing levels), or three hospital stays for lung problems within one year. You only need to meet one of the four paths (A, B, C, or D).

Read Listing 3.02 on ssa.gov

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What Listing 3.02 asks for

What SSA looks for — see the 6 items

We will check your records against each of these. Every item comes straight from SSA's own listing.

    • Your best FEV1 (the air you blow out in the first second of a breathing test) must be at or below the number in SSA's table for your age, sex, and height.
    • This is one of four paths — you only need to meet A, B, C, or D, not all of them.
    Read the original wording

    Your best FEV1 (the air you blow out in the first second of a breathing test) must be at or below the number in SSA's table for your age, sex, and height. This is one of four paths — you only need to meet A, B, C, or D, not all of them.

    (Listing 3.02, criterion A)

    • Your best FVC (the total air you can blow out in one big breath) must be at or below the number in SSA's table for your age, sex, and height.
    • This is one of four paths — you only need one.
    Read the original wording

    Your best FVC (the total air you can blow out in one big breath) must be at or below the number in SSA's table for your age, sex, and height. This is one of four paths — you only need one.

    (Listing 3.02, criterion B)

    • A DLCO test measures how well oxygen passes from your lungs into your blood.
    • The average of two acceptable, unadjusted measurements must be at or below the table value for your sex and height.
    • C1, C2, and C3 are alternatives within path C — any one of them works, and C itself is one of the four paths (A, B, C, or D).
    Read the original wording

    A DLCO test measures how well oxygen passes from your lungs into your blood. The average of two acceptable, unadjusted measurements must be at or below the table value for your sex and height. C1, C2, and C3 are alternatives within path C — any one of them works, and C itself is one of the four paths (A, B, C, or D).

    (Listing 3.02, criterion C1)

    • An arterial blood gas (ABG) test measures oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in your blood.
    • Your oxygen level (PaO2) must be at or below the table value that matches your carbon dioxide level (PaCO2) and the altitude of the test site.
    • The test must be done breathing room air, at rest or during steady exercise.
    • Only one of C1, C2, or C3 is needed.
    Read the original wording

    An arterial blood gas (ABG) test measures oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in your blood. Your oxygen level (PaO2) must be at or below the table value that matches your carbon dioxide level (PaCO2) and the altitude of the test site. The test must be done breathing room air, at rest or during steady exercise. Only one of C1, C2, or C3 is needed.

    (Listing 3.02, criterion C2)

    • Pulse oximetry uses a fingertip sensor to measure your blood oxygen saturation.
    • Your reading — at rest, or during or after a 6-minute walk test — must be at or below 87% (or a lower cutoff at higher altitudes).
    • Only one of C1, C2, or C3 is needed.
    Read the original wording

    Pulse oximetry uses a fingertip sensor to measure your blood oxygen saturation. Your reading — at rest, or during or after a 6-minute walk test — must be at or below 87% (or a lower cutoff at higher altitudes). Only one of C1, C2, or C3 is needed.

    (Listing 3.02, criterion C3)

    • Your breathing disorder got worse badly enough that you were hospitalized three separate times within one year, with at least 30 days between stays.
    • Each stay must have lasted at least 48 hours (time in the emergency room right before admission counts).
    • This is one of four paths — only one is needed.
    Read the original wording

    Your breathing disorder got worse badly enough that you were hospitalized three separate times within one year, with at least 30 days between stays. Each stay must have lasted at least 48 hours (time in the emergency room right before admission counts). This is one of four paths — only one is needed.

    (Listing 3.02, criterion D)

How long it must last:

  • No listing-specific duration is stated for paths A–C; the general rule applies — the impairment must have lasted or be expected to last at least 12 continuous months.
  • For path D, the three hospitalizations must occur within a 12-month period that falls within the period SSA is considering.
Read the original wording

No listing-specific duration is stated for paths A–C; the general rule applies — the impairment must have lasted or be expected to last at least 12 continuous months. For path D, the three hospitalizations must occur within a 12-month period that falls within the period SSA is considering.