United States · Social Security disability · Blue Book
SSA listing 12.02: neurocognitive disorders.
The adult Blue Book listing, quoted as printed and explained in plain terms.
Listing 12.02 is met by paragraph A plus B, or A plus C. Paragraph A requires medical documentation of a significant cognitive decline from a prior level of functioning in one or more of six cognitive areas: complex attention, executive function, learning and memory, language, perceptual-motor, or social cognition.
The short version
Listing 12.02 is met by paragraph A plus B, or A plus C. Paragraph A requires medical documentation of a significant cognitive decline from a prior level of functioning in one or more of six cognitive areas: complex attention, executive function, learning and memory, language, perceptual-motor, or social cognition.
The text below is the adult listing from 20 CFR Part 404, Subpart P, Appendix 1 as published on the eCFR, current through October 29, 2026 and read on November 2, 2026. Children are evaluated under the 112.xx series; this page covers only the adult listing.
Listing 12.02 as printed
Listing 12.02, as printed (adult listing)
12.02 Neurocognitive disorders (see 12.00B1), satisfied by A and B, or A and C:
A. Medical documentation of a significant cognitive decline from a prior level of functioning in one or more of the cognitive areas:
1. Complex attention; 2. Executive function; 3. Learning and memory; 4. Language; 5. Perceptual-motor; or 6. Social cognition.
AND B. Extreme limitation of one, or marked limitation of two, of the following areas of mental functioning (see 12.00F): 1. Understand, remember, or apply information (see 12.00E1). 2. Interact with others (see 12.00E2). 3. Concentrate, persist, or maintain pace (see 12.00E3). 4. Adapt or manage oneself (see 12.00E4).
OR C. Your mental disorder in this listing category is "serious and persistent;" that is, you have a medically documented history of the existence of the disorder over a period of at least 2 years, and there is evidence of both:
1. Medical treatment, mental health therapy, psychosocial support(s), or a highly structured setting(s) that is ongoing and that diminishes the symptoms and signs of your mental disorder (see 12.00G2b); and
2. Marginal adjustment, that is, you have minimal capacity to adapt to changes in your environment or to demands that are not already part of your daily life (see 12.00G2c).
How listing 12.02 is built
Listing 12.02 is the first of the adult mental listings and the one that touches the neurological body system most directly. It uses the three-paragraph structure in section 12.00A2: your disorder "must satisfy the requirements of both paragraphs A and B, or the requirements of both paragraphs A and C."
The key phrase in paragraph A is "a significant cognitive decline from a prior level of functioning." The listing is about change: a person who has lost function that they previously had. That separates it from intellectual disorder (12.05), which is defined by functioning that was subaverage with onset before age 22, and the introductory text in 12.00B1c says the neurocognitive category "does not include" 12.05, autism spectrum disorder (12.10) or neurodevelopmental disorders (12.11).
Paragraph A in plain terms
Paragraph A names six cognitive areas and requires documented decline in "one or more." Section 12.00B1a describes the category with related terms: disturbances in memory, executive functioning ("higher-level cognitive processes; for example, regulating attention, planning, inhibiting responses, decision-making"), visual-spatial functioning, language and speech, perception, insight, judgment and insensitivity to social standards.
The six areas in paragraph A are the listing's vocabulary; the sentence in 12.00B1a is the category's. The two lists overlap but are not identical, which is another reason to read the listing text first when asking what must be documented. The wide list of examples in 12.00B1b runs from Alzheimer-type and vascular dementia to traumatic brain injury and substance-induced cognitive disorder, and includes dementia due to neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinsonian syndrome and Huntington disease.
What the regulation says this category covers (12.00B1)
12.00B1, quoted
These disorders are characterized by a clinically significant decline in cognitive functioning. Symptoms and signs may include, but are not limited to, disturbances in memory, executive functioning (that is, higher-level cognitive processes; for example, regulating attention, planning, inhibiting responses, decision-making), visual-spatial functioning, language and speech, perception, insight, judgment, and insensitivity to social standards.
Examples of disorders that we evaluate in this category include major neurocognitive disorder; dementia of the Alzheimer type; vascular dementia; dementia due to a medical condition such as a metabolic disease (for example, late-onset Tay-Sachs disease), human immunodeficiency virus infection, vascular malformation, progressive brain tumor, neurological disease (for example, multiple sclerosis, Parkinsonian syndrome, Huntington disease), or traumatic brain injury; or substance-induced cognitive disorder associated with drugs of abuse, medications, or toxins. (We evaluate neurological disorders under that body system (see 11.00). We evaluate cognitive impairments that result from neurological disorders under 12.02 if they do not satisfy the requirements in 11.00 (see 11.00G).)
TNAADO's reading: the category description and the examples tell you which kinds of conditions are assessed here. They are not extra criteria. The criteria are the paragraphs of the listing itself.
Paragraph B: the four areas and the five-point scale
Paragraph B is a functional test. SSA rates the effect of the disorder on four areas of mental functioning on a five-point scale (12.00F2) and the listing is satisfied by extreme limitation of one, or marked limitation of two.
| Paragraph B area | What 12.00E says it refers to (quoted) |
|---|---|
| Understand, remember, or apply information (12.00E1) | This area of mental functioning refers to the abilities to learn, recall, and use information to perform work activities. |
| Interact with others (12.00E2) | This area of mental functioning refers to the abilities to relate to and work with supervisors, co-workers, and the public. |
| Concentrate, persist, or maintain pace (12.00E3) | This area of mental functioning refers to the abilities to focus attention on work activities and stay on task at a sustained rate. |
| Adapt or manage oneself (12.00E4) | This area of mental functioning refers to the abilities to regulate emotions, control behavior, and maintain well-being in a work setting. |
| Point on the scale | Definition (12.00F2, quoted) |
|---|---|
| None | You are able to function in this area independently, appropriately, effectively, and on a sustained basis. |
| Mild | Your functioning in this area independently, appropriately, effectively, and on a sustained basis is slightly limited. |
| Moderate | Your functioning in this area independently, appropriately, effectively, and on a sustained basis is fair. |
| Marked | Your functioning in this area independently, appropriately, effectively, and on a sustained basis is seriously limited. |
| Extreme | You are not able to function in this area independently, appropriately, effectively, and on a sustained basis. |
The functional test in paragraph B is the standard one. What is particular to this category is the handoff from the neurological listings. The parenthetical in 12.00B1b says neurological disorders are evaluated under body system 11.00, and cognitive impairments that result from them are evaluated under 12.02 "if they do not satisfy the requirements in 11.00 (see 11.00G)." Section 11.00G, for its part, says that if a neurological disorder produces extreme limitation in one, or marked in two, mental areas but not at least marked physical limitation, SSA "will consider whether your condition meets or medically equals one of the mental disorders body system listings, 12.00."
That is two sections pointing at each other, and it is why a neurological diagnosis such as multiple sclerosis can appear on this page and on the MS page. Which listing fits depends on how the limitations divide between physical and mental functioning, which is a determination for SSA on the whole record.
Paragraph C: "serious and persistent"
Paragraph C applies the "serious and persistent" test to this category: at least two years of medically documented history, ongoing treatment, supports or a highly structured setting that diminishes symptoms, and only marginal adjustment. For conditions marked by decline, section 12.00G2b's statement that SSA looks at treatment "with a frequency consistent with accepted medical practice" is the evidentiary anchor for C1.
Section 12.00D lists how supports and structure are weighed, including help from family members who "administer your medications, remind you to eat, shop for you and pay your bills," and living arrangements from group homes to institutions with 24-hour care. The more extensive the support needed, "the more limited we will find you to be."
Reading 12.02 next to its neighbours
Neighbouring pages on this site cover the multiple sclerosis and Parkinsonian syndrome listings under 11.00, which use a different functional test combining physical and mental limitation. Mood symptoms in someone with cognitive decline are assessed under 12.04 if they are a separate documented disorder.
What this page does not do
It does not diagnose, say which listing applies to you, estimate an outcome or advise on a claim. A listing is only one step: Social Security also decides disability through other steps and considers evidence this page does not reproduce. The regulation text changes over time; check the linked eCFR page for the current version.
Frequently asked questions
What does paragraph A of listing 12.02 require?
Medical documentation of a significant cognitive decline from a prior level of functioning in one or more of six areas: complex attention, executive function, learning and memory, language, perceptual-motor, or social cognition.
How is 12.02 different from 12.05?
12.02 is about decline from a prior level of functioning. 12.05 is intellectual disorder, defined by subaverage functioning with onset before age 22.
Where are neurological disorders such as multiple sclerosis evaluated?
Under body system 11.00. Cognitive impairments resulting from them are evaluated under 12.02 if they do not satisfy the requirements in 11.00.
What are the two ways to satisfy the listing after paragraph A?
Paragraph B (extreme limitation of one, or marked limitation of two, of four areas of mental functioning) or paragraph C (serious and persistent, with marginal adjustment).
Do supports like family help count?
Yes, as evidence. Section 12.00D says SSA considers the kind and extent of supports and structure, and that the more support needed, the more limited SSA will find the person.
Does this page tell me whether I meet listing 12.02?
No. It reproduces the published criteria. Social Security decides disability, and this page is not medical or claim advice.
Sources
Read directly from the primary sources below on November 2, 2026 (eCFR text current through October 29, 2026). Quotations are the regulation text as printed; anything labelled as a reading is TNAADO's. The listings are amended and re-extended from time to time, so confirm the current text on the linked pages.
- 20 CFR Part 404, Subpart P, Appendix 1, Listing of Impairments (eCFR, current through October 29, 2026; read November 2, 2026)
- 20 CFR Part 404 Subpart P, Determining Disability and Blindness (eCFR; read November 2, 2026)
- Social Security Administration, Disability Evaluation Under Social Security (Blue Book) index (checked November 2, 2026; direct page fetches return 403, so the regulation text on eCFR was used)
Reference, not an SSA determination, medical advice or claim advice
Listing criteria quoted from 20 CFR Part 404, Subpart P, Appendix 1 as of October 29, 2026 (eCFR). This page reproduces published criteria so you can read them; it does not diagnose, tell you whether you meet a listing, estimate an outcome or advise on a claim. Social Security decides disability using the full process in its regulations, including provisions this page does not reproduce. It is not legal, financial or medical advice; a benefits attorney, accredited representative or your clinician can review your situation.