Listing code
101.21
Children (Part B)
Body system
101.00
Musculoskeletal disorders (children)
Subsections
3
Lettered criteria paths
Step in evaluation
3 of 5
Listing match approves the claim
SSA listing text and criteria
Soft tissue injury or abnormality under continuing surgical management (see 101.00L ), documented by A, B, and C:
Subsection A
Evidence confirms continuing surgical management (see 101.00P1 ) directed toward saving, reconstructing, or replacing the affected part of the body. AND
Subsection B
The surgical management has been, or is expected to be, ongoing for a continuous period of at least 12 months. AND
Subsection C
Maximum benefit from therapy (see 101.00P2 ) has not yet been achieved.
Source: SSA Blue Book listing 101.21. Last synced 2026-05-04.
Where claims under 101.21 usually fail
A frequent failure is missing the 'continuing surgical management' requirement, for example where the record shows therapy or monitoring but not ongoing surgical management directed at saving, reconstructing, or replacing the affected part. Another failure is the timing requirement: the surgical management must have been or be expected to be ongoing for at least 12 months, so short or uncertain treatment periods can fall short. A third pitfall is the 'maximum benefit from therapy has not yet been achieved' criterion, which means the child must still be in the active phase where maximum benefit is not yet reached. Finally, some claims fail because the evidence is not organized to satisfy all three lettered criteria (A, B, and C) together.
Medical evidence that strengthens this claim
The evidence needs to confirm continuing surgical management directed toward saving, reconstructing, or replacing the affected part of the body (Subsection A). Documentation should also show the surgical management has been, or is expected to be, ongoing for a continuous period of at least 12 months (Subsection B). Records should support that maximum benefit from therapy has not yet been achieved (Subsection C). Surgical care descriptions and timelines are important; treatment phases and the ongoing treatment plan that ties back to the surgical goal and expected duration are usually what matters most for meeting all three subsections.
What happens if your records do not meet this listing
If the criteria in Subsections A, B, and C are not all met, approval may still be possible through the remaining steps of the childhood disability process using functional limitations. That means the medical evidence and how the condition affects the child day-to-day can still matter even if the case does not match this specific 'soft tissue injury under continuing surgical management' pattern. The decision process can consider whether the child has limitations that are severe enough under the broader rules, rather than only whether the exact listing criteria are satisfied.
Work activity and the SGA gate for this condition
For an SSDI or similar work activity gate, SSA does not weigh SGA dollars in the listing criteria itself. The practical issue is whether work activity is possible while the child's condition is still under continuing surgical management (101.21A) for an expected continuous period of at least 12 months (101.21B). If benefits are approved, SGA rules and related eligibility rules for continuing eligibility still apply after approval, and any reassessment would use the rules that apply to ongoing eligibility rather than the listing's clinical lettered criteria.
Listing 101.21 FAQ
Questions that come up repeatedly for soft tissue injury or abnormality under continuing surgical management disability claims.