Listing code
111.20
Children (Part B)
Body system
111.00
Neurological disorders (children)
Subsections
0
No lettered criteria
Step in evaluation
3 of 5
Listing match approves the claim
SSA listing text and criteria
Coma or persistent vegetative state , persisting for at least 1 month.
This listing has no lettered subsections. The diagnosis itself, supported by the medical evidence described in the body-system overview, is what SSA evaluates.
Source: SSA Blue Book listing 111.20. Last synced 2026-05-04.
Where claims under 111.20 usually fail
One failure mode is missing the timing requirement, since the condition must persist for at least 1 month. Another failure mode is treating the condition as a purely mental impairment and trying to fit it into a different body of listings, even though this listing is within neurological disorders for children. A third failure mode is relying on incomplete records, when SSA needs both medical evidence (history, exam findings, lab results when relevant, and imaging such as CT, MRI, or EEG) and non-medical evidence about limitations. A fourth failure mode is submitting reports that do not include the supporting medical results and instead only describe symptoms without the needed diagnostic support.
Medical evidence that strengthens this claim
Medical evidence needs to include a medical history, examination findings, relevant laboratory findings (when applicable), and results of imaging such as CT, MRI, and electroencephalography (EEG), if those are part of establishing the diagnosis. Documentation can also include descriptions of prescribed treatment and how the child responded. Non-medical evidence can include statements about impairments, restrictions, daily activities, and (for an adolescent) efforts to work, because SSA uses both types of evidence to assess effects on functioning.
What happens if your records do not meet this listing
Even if the coma or persistent vegetative state diagnosis does not meet this listing as written, SSA still looks at whether the child has impairments that cause limitations that can be compared under the rules used for functional equivalence. SSA evaluates the limitations caused by the neurological disease process itself, and if there is a neurological disorder that affects physical and mental functioning, those impacts are considered using the rules for determining functional equivalence.
Work activity and the SGA gate for this condition
For a child claim in Part B, SSA is evaluating neurological disorders that affect functioning, including coma or persistent vegetative state persisting for at least 1 month. The neurological body of listings focuses on limitations resulting from the neurological disease process itself, using both medical evidence (history, exam findings, labs, and imaging like CT, MRI, and EEG) and non-medical evidence (statements about impairments, restrictions, daily activities, and for adolescents, efforts to work).
Listing 111.20 FAQ
Questions that come up repeatedly for coma or persistent vegetative state , persisting for at least 1 month disability claims.