WAC 388-449-0001 What are the disability requirements for the Aged, Blind or Disabled (ABD) program?

1. For the purposes of this chapter, the following definitions apply:
   1. "We" and "us" refer to the department of social and health services.
   2. "You" means the applicant or recipient.
   3. “Disabled”  is defined by the Social Security Administration for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) as the inability to engage in any substantial gainful activity (SGA) by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment(s) which can be expected to result in death or which has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than twelve months with available treatment.
   4. "Physical impairment" means a diagnosable physical illness.
   5. "Mental impairment" means a diagnosable mental disorder. We exclude any diagnosis of or related to alcohol or drug abuse or addiction.
2. We determine if you are likely to be disabled when:
   1. You apply for ABD cash benefits;
   2. You become employed;
   3. You obtain work skills by completing a training program; or
   4. We receive new information that indicates you may be employable.
3. We determine you are likely to be disabled if:
   1. You are determined to meet SSA disability criteria by the Social Security Administration (SSA);
   2. You are determined to meet SSA disability criteria by Disability Determination Services (DDDS) based on the most recent DDDS determination;
   3. The Social Security Administration (SSA) stops your Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments solely because you are not a citizen;
   4. You are eligible for long-term care services from aging and disability services administration for a medical condition that is expected to last twelve months or more or result in death; or
   5. You are approved through the Sequential Evaluation Process (SEP) defined in WAC 388-449-0005  through 388-449-0100. The SEP is the sequence of five steps. Step 1 considers whether you are currently working. Steps 2 and 3 consider medical evidence and whether you are likely to meet a listed impairment under Social Security’s rules. Steps 4 and 5 consider your residual functional capacity and vocational factors such as age, education, and work experience in order to determine your ability to do your past work or other work.
4. If you have a physical or mental impairment and you are impaired by alcohol or drug addiction and do not meet the other disability criteria in subsection (2) (a) through (d) above, we decide if you are eligible for ABD cash by applying the sequential evaluation process described in WAC 388-449-0005 through WAC 388-449-0100. You aren't eligible for ABD cash benefits if you are disabled primarily because of alcoholism or drug addiction.
5. In determining disability, we consider only your ability to perform basic work-related activities. "Basic work-related activities" are activities that anyone would be required to perform in a work setting. They consist of: sitting, standing, walking, lifting, carrying, handling, and other physical functions (including manipulative or postural functions such as pushing, pulling, reaching, handling, stooping, or crouching), seeing, hearing, communicating, remembering, understanding and following instructions, responding appropriately to supervision and coworkers, tolerating the pressures of a work setting, maintaining appropriate behavior, and adapting to changes in a routine work setting.
6. We determine you are not likely to meet SSI disability criteria if SSA has denied your application for SSI or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) based on disability in the last twelve months unless:
   1. You file a timely appeal with SSA;
   2. SSA decides you have good cause for a late appeal; or
   3. You give us medical evidence of a  potentially disabling condition that SSA did not consider  or medical evidence confirming your condition has deteriorated.