Filing Disability for Childhood Growth Impairment

Growth impairment is one of the conditions listed as a disability under Social Security Administration (SSA) guidelines. The growth impairment may be disabling in itself or may be symptomatic of an underlying disorder or disease. The SSA bases determinations of growth impairment by comparing current height with at least three previous determinations, one of which is length at birth. Childhood growth impairment is also assessed by looking at the adult heights of the child's natural parents as well as the heights and ages of siblings. This assessment is done to rule out short stature that is a familial characteristic and not the result of a disease or disorder. Children exhibiting childhood growth impairment may qualify for disability benefits if the SSA determines that the condition is severe enough to be disabling.

Filing Disability for Childhood Growth Impairment

Category of Growth Impairments

The SSA assesses certain types of growth impairments. The impairment must be more than a familial characteristic as noted above. To qualify for benefits, the impairment must be either one of the following:

• Related to an additional medically determinable impairment and one of the following:
  • A sustained fall of greater than 15 percentiles in height
  • A fall to or a persistence of a height below the third percentile

• Unrelated to another medically determinable impairment and one of the following:
  • A sustained fall of greater than 25 percentiles in height
  • A bone age greater than two standard deviations below the mean chronological age

Bone Age Determinations

To file for disability, the parent/applicant must present medical documentation that provides bone age determinations of the child. Medical reports must include full descriptions of medically acceptable imagining that determines bone age. These reports must cite the standardization method used in the assessment. Imaging includes X-ray imaging, CAT scans or MRIs with or without contrast material, myelography and radionuclear bone scans. Scans of the left hand and wrist should be included. Acceptable imaging of the child's knee and ankle should be obtained to evaluate growth cessation in an older child who is either at or past puberty. The requisite criteria are only applicable until the major epiphyses close. The epiphyses are the rounded ends of the long bones. After these have closed and significant growth has ceased, these criteria cannot be assessed properly.

Filing for Disability

To file for disability, the parent must include the medical documentation mentioned above with the requisite applications. Applications are available at the local Social Security field office. A parent can also fill out a child disability report online. If you wish to receive disability benefits for a child with a growth impairment, you must provide medical evidence including imaging reports of certain criteria to qualify. Discuss your case with an experienced Social Security advocate or legal representative.