Social Security Disability Benefits and Low IQ

Intellectual disabilities are mental conditions that involve difficulties in reasoning and information processing. These skills are typically measured by IQ tests which can help doctors identify and diagnose an intellectual or neurodevelopmental disorder. A low average IQ might signify a mild intellectual impairment, while an extremely low IQ score could indicate a very severe cognitive disorder. (IQ scores below 89 are considered “low average,” while an IQ below 69 is considered “extremely low.”)

Intellectual disabilities, as established with low IQ scores, can qualify for Social Security benefits when they’re severe enough to meet a listed impairment or when they prevent somebody from performing even the least mentally demanding jobs. If you’re thinking about applying for SSDI or SSI, it’s important to know what evidence Social Security needs to see in order to approve a claim for disability due to low IQ.

What Is a Low IQ?

IQs are usually assessed according to the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS), although Social Security will accept results of other valid, standardized intelligence tests—such as the Stanford-Binet—performed by a qualified specialist. While these tests have their critics as a measurement of “smartness”, they’re currently an accepted indicator of intellectual disability.

WAIS testing assigns a range of IQ scores into the following categories:

• Very superior scores are 130 and above.
• Superior scores are between 120-129.
• High average scores are between 110-119.
• Average scores are between 90-109.
• Low average scores are between 80-89.
• Borderline scores are between 70-79.
• Extremely low scores are 69 and below.

Scores in the low average, borderline, and extremely low ranges can help somebody qualify for disability benefits, especially in conjunction with other mental or physical impairments. (Scores in the average to superior ranges aren’t likely to have a meaningful impact on the ability to perform work tasks, and therefore won’t matter much to Social Security.)

What IQ is Considered Disabled According to Social Security?

People with IQ scores that are below 75 might qualify for disability under Social Security’s listing 12.05 for intellectual disorder, while people with IQ scores in the low average to borderline range could qualify under listing 12.11 for neurodevelopmental disorders. Even if you don’t meet one of the listings, you may qualify for benefits if you can show that you’re unable to work at any job on a full-time basis.

Getting Disability for Low IQ Under the Intellectual Disorder Listing

Intellectual disorder is one of Social Security’s listed impairments—conditions that can qualify disability applicants for benefits automatically without having to prove that they can’t do any jobs. (Qualifying for benefits this way is called “meeting a listing.”) You can meet the requirements of listing 12.05 if you have medical documentation of the following three elements:

• significantly subaverage general intellectual functioning
• significant deficits in current adaptive functioning, and
• evidence that the disorder started before age 22.

Significantly Subaverage General Intellectual Functioning

Social Security will look at the results of a valid IQ test in order to determine whether a claimant has significantly subaverage general intellectual functioning. The test must meet generally accepted current standards for psychometrics (measures of mental capabilities), be performed by a licensed specialist, and be administered individually—tests administered to a group of people at the same time, such as at school or in the military, don’t count.

IQ test results can be divided further into full-scale and verbal or performance scores. Somebody with a full-scale IQ of 70 or below has satisfied the first element of listing 12.05, while somebody with a slightly higher full-scale IQ (between 71-75) also satisfies the first element if they have a verbal or performance score of 70 or below.

Significant Deficits in Current Adaptive Functioning

Having a low IQ isn’t enough on its own to meet the requirements of listing 12.05. Claimants must also provide evidence that they have “marked” limitations in two, or “extreme” limitations in one, of the following areas of mental functioning:

• understanding, remembering, and applying information (such as learning new things, exercising judgment, planning, and following instructions)
• interacting with others in socially appropriate ways
• being able to focus on tasks long enough to complete them in a reasonable time, and
• adapting or managing oneself (such as regulating emotions, handling changes in routine, taking precautions around danger, and dressing appropriately at work.)

Extreme limitations are more severe than marked limitations. A “marked” limitation means that you’re able to function independently in that area but you need a lot of help, while an “extreme” limitation means that you’re unable to function in that area independently.

Establishing the Disorder Began Before Age 22

People with intellectual disorders tend to have a long history documented by school and medical records, so Social Security can usually easily verify whether a claimant had intellectual difficulties before age 22. But when that's not the case, it’s up to the agency to prove that the claimant didn’t have cognitive limitations before age 22.

Any cognitive decline that happens after age 22—for instance, due to brain injury, stroke, or dementia—is evaluated under Social Security’s neurocognitive listing instead.

Getting Disability for Low IQ Under the Borderline Intellectual Functioning Listing

Claimants who don’t meet the criteria for the intellectual disorder listing but have an IQ within the “borderline” or “low average” range—generally, below 85—might qualify for disability under Listing 12.11 for neurodevelopmental disorders. Listing 12.11 covers a range of cognitive disorders that begin in childhood, including borderline intellectual functioning. These disorders cause difficulties with basic mental activities such as remembering information, following directions, and organizing time, space, materials, or tasks.

In order to qualify for disability benefits under this listing, claimants must show the same “marked” or “extreme” functional limitations required by listing 12.05. Additionally, the medical records need to contain documentation of at least one of the following:

• frequent distractibility, difficulty organizing or sustaining tasks, or hyperactive and impulsive behavior
• significant difficulties learning and using academic skills, or
• recurrent motor movement or vocalization (“tics”).

Social Security will look at school records, doctors’ notes, medical source statements and activities of daily living questionnaires for evidence of the above requirements.

What If You Just Miss the Cutoff for the Low IQ Listings?

People who have IQ scores above 85 or who don’t otherwise meet the listing criteria can still qualify for disability benefits if they can show that they can’t do simple, unskilled work. Unskilled jobs involve routine tasks that can be learned in under one month and don’t require much independent judgment. Some examples include parking lot attendant, small parts assembler, or cleaner.

Because unskilled jobs are considered the least mentally demanding types of work, claimants often have a hard time showing that they can’t perform them. One way is by being unable to maintain enough focus to perform even the easiest jobs full-time. Another way is by having additional physical or mental impairments that, when combined, keep you from working. And people older than 50 may be able to show that a low IQ score prevents them from using any transferable skills at another job, which can help them get benefits under the medical-vocational grid rules.

Disability Benefit Amounts

Social Security doesn’t make payments based on the kind of disability you have. Instead, how much you’ll receive depends on whether you’re eligible for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

SSDI eligibility depends on whether you have insured status based on your work history, and to receive SSI you need to have less than a certain amount of assets. You can learn more—and calculate your estimated benefit—in our article on SSDI and SSI monthly check amounts.

What If You’re Denied Benefits?

Qualifying for benefits due to low IQ can be difficult. Most applicants who are ultimately awarded benefits don’t find out until after they’ve had a hearing in front of an administrative law judge, a process that can take several years. If you receive a denial letter, you’ll probably need to appeal twice before you get the chance to have a disability hearing.

Consider hiring an experienced attorney or advocate for help with your disability appeal. Your lawyer can gather important medical information you need for a successful case, submit a pre-hearing brief that outlines the reasons why you qualify for benefits, and promptly handle communications with the Social Security Administration. Most disability representatives offer free consultations, so it doesn’t hurt to call around to find a lawyer you like near you.