{"data":{"id":"us/20-cfr-404.1602","jurisdiction":"us","citation":"20 CFR 404.1602","heading":"Definitions.","body":"For purposes of this subpart:\nAct means the Social Security Act, as amended.\nClass or classes of cases means the categories into which disability claims are divided according to their characteristics.\nCommissioner means the Commissioner of Social Security or his or her authorized designee.\nCompassionate allowance means a determination or decision we make under a process that identifies for expedited handling claims that involve impairments that invariably qualify under the Listing of Impairments in appendix 1 to subpart P based on minimal, but sufficient, objective medical evidence.\nDetermination of disability or disability determination means one or more of the following decisions:\n(a) Whether or not a person is under a disability;\n(b) The date a person's disability began; or\n(c) The date a person's disability ended.\nDisability means disability or blindness as defined in sections 216(i) and 223 of the Act or as defined in title IV of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977, as amended.\nDisability determination function means making determinations as to disability and carrying out related administrative and other responsibilities.\nDisability program means, as appropriate, the Federal programs for providing disability insurance benefits under title II of the Act and disability benefits under title IV of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977, as amended.\nInitial means the first level of disability adjudication.\nOther written guidelines means written issuances such as Social Security Rulings and memoranda by the Commissioner of Social Security, the Deputy Commissioner for Programs and Policy, or the Associate Commissioner for Disability and the procedures, guides, and operating instructions in the Disability Insurance sections of the Program Operations Manual System, that are instructive, interpretive, clarifying, and/or administrative and not designated as advisory or discretionary. The purpose of including the foregoing material in the definition is to assure uniform national application of program standards and service delivery to the public.\nQuick disability determination means an initial determination on a claim that we have identified as one that reflects a high degree of probability that you will be found disabled and where we expect that your allegations will be easily and quickly verified.\nRegulations means regulations in this subpart issued under sections 205(a), 221 and 1102 of the Act, unless otherwise indicated.\nState means any of the 50 States of the United States, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, or Guam. It includes the State agency.\nState agency means that agency of a State which has been designated by the State to carry out the disability determination function.\nWe, us, and our refers to the Social Security Administration (SSA).","path":["Title 20—Employees' Benefits","CHAPTER III—SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION","PART 404—FEDERAL OLD-AGE, SURVIVORS AND DISABILITY INSURANCE (1950- )","Subpart Q—Determinations of Disability"],"source_url":"https://www.ecfr.gov/api/versioner/v1/full/2026-08-25/title-20.xml","current_through":"2026-08-25","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-08-27T02:24:45Z","sha256":"a7c2f8bf8d160a9badf2afe55a400d21095eeb7faed6ba5028cd18b41599497c","source_id":"us-cfr","stale":true,"prev":"us/20-cfr-404.1601","next":"us/20-cfr-404.1603"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}