After several years of study, The Social Security Administration has proposed a major revision to the medical criteria used to evaluate disorders of the immune system.

The proposal follows an extensive pre-revision analysis period in which the Administration published a notice of advance rulemaking and held two policy conferences in immune system disorders in the disability programs. Comments on the proposed revision are due by October 3, 2006, and may be submitted to one of the addresses listed in the official notice, which was published in the August 4, 2006, Federal Register (71 FedReg 44432).

The criteria used to evaluate disorders of the immune system appear in the Listing of Impairments (“Listings”) (20 CFR, Part 404, Subpart P, Appendix 1) at Listing ­14.00 and ­114.00, which list criteria for evaluating immune system disorders in adults, and in children, respectively.

See full text here:

The Social Security Administration has taken the next step in a three-year process revising the Regualtions relating to disability claims under the auto-immune disorders. This includes HIV/AIDS, Lupus, arthritic and other autommune disorders, the first revision since 1992. They say:

We are proposing to revise the medical criteria that we use to evaluate immune system disorders in both adults and children who apply for Social Security disability benefits or Supplemental Security Income payments based on disability. We published our proposed revisions in a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in the Federal Register (71 FR 44432) on August 4, 2006. Because of your interest, we invite your comments about our proposal. The electronic version of this NPRM is available in the Federal Register . It is also available on our Internet site .

If you choose to submit comments on our proposal, we must receive them by October 3, 2006. Comments may be submitted to our Internet site as noted above. You may also send your comments by e-mail to regulations@ssa.gov, by telefax to (410) 966-2830, or by letter to the Commissioner of Social Security, P.O. Box 17703, Baltimore, Maryland 21235-7703.
To see the changes proposed, click here:

And to comment on the proposed regs, go click on this link: