Social Security Disability Qualifying Impairments

Do I Need an Impairment on Social Security’s Official List to Qualify for Benefits?

Social Security has its own list of impairments that qualify for disability benefits.

It includes dozens of recognized diagnoses and describes the symptoms, treatments, medical evidence, and impacts on your ability to function that you need to establish in your disability claim.

If your condition appears on the list, it gives you a road map for how to qualify for benefits.

But if your diagnosis doesn’t appear on the list, don’t worry. Following the guidelines on Social Security’s listing of impairments isn’t the only way, or even the most likely way, to win benefits.

It’s important to remember that having a disorder, disease, injury or any health condition often isn’t enough on its own to be eligible for Social Security Disability benefits.

You must show that your impairment keeps you from working and earning income above a certain amount, known as “substantial gainful activity” or SGA, which is a monthly income threshold Social Security adjusts each year.

More simply put, the severity of your condition and its impact on your work life is how Social Security defines “disability,” more than the exact diagnosis you have and whether it is on a list.

So, you don’t have to find your impairment in the listings. Social Security accepts disability applications for health problems not named in the list, as long as you can prove your combined symptoms make working competitively impossible.

If you’re uncertain if your health issues qualify for benefits, or Social Security has already denied your claim, the skilled Chicago disability attorneys at Nash Disability can help.

We can evaluate your case free of charge and give you guidance to succeed in your claim and find peace of mind. You pay no attorney fee until you win the benefits you deserve.

How Does Social Security Determine if My Condition Qualifies?

When Social Security evaluates your medical condition for disability benefits, first it checks for your diagnosis against the criteria of impairments in its listing of impairments.

If there’s no match, Social Security launches the next phase of assessment: determining if the severity of your individual symptoms will keep you from working at your past work or any other jobs for 12 consecutive months, considering your age, education, and work experience.

Social Security does this by evaluating your “residual functional capacity,” or RFC.

This is the maximum amount of work you can do given the physical and mental limitations caused by your condition.

Reviewing medical records and assessments from your doctor(s), Social Security evaluates basic functioning like your ability to stand, walk, lift, carry, push and pull, as well as your ability to retain and process information and manage your daily life.

It then compares your residual functional capacity to the requirements of your past relevant work (PRW), defined as work you have done within the past five years at “substantial gainful activity” levels and that lasted long enough for you to learn it.

Next it considers your age, education and skills you have acquired in your PRW to determine if there is some other work you could still do.

If the answer is “no,” then your claim may be approved.

Medical evidence is key. Anything you can provide to strengthen your case will help. These include:

• Your official diagnoses
• Lab results
• Diagnostic tests
• Imaging such as X rays, CT scans and MRIs
• Psychological evaluations
• Doctors’ notes and statements
• Prescriptions
• Your treatment plans

Compiling all this evidence can seem daunting. A skilled disability lawyer does much of this for you—to make sure you didn’t leave anything out or make a mistake in describing your case.

If you live in Chicagoland, Nash Disability can help.

What Can I Do If Social Security Denies My Disability Claim Despite the Evidence?

Social Security will let you know its findings by sending a decision letter. Often, it’s not what you want to hear. In general, Social Security denies more than two out of every three claims it receives.

That letter, however, is the beginning of the next step. Study it for indications of what you need to strengthen your disability claim.

In many cases, a successful appeal rests on proving Social Security made the wrong decision because they didn’t weigh all the facts of your case.

The appeals process gives you the opportunity to provide more evidence, gather more facts, and tell a more compelling, complete story about how your health problems have derailed your ability to work.

A lot of the confusion in disability cases comes from the many different ways people define “disability.”

Your doctor may define it simply as your condition’s limitations on your daily activities. Your neighbor may see it as whether you use a wheelchair or a cane or have a handicapped sticker on your car.

But Social Security has a very narrow view: It draws a direct line between your health and your ability to work.

When you’re appealing a disability denial, go back through all the evidence you submitted and see if you have gaps. Social Security may have highlighted some of them if they sent you follow-up questions after you applied.

Another step could be to participate in a “consultative evaluation.” In this scenario, Social Security requires you to undergo an independent medical exam to unearth more evidence about your health condition’s impact on your working life.

The best way to make sure you’ve left no stone unturned is to have a disability lawyer at your side.

At Nash Disability Law, we’ve helped thousands of our neighbors across Chicagoland and the country push back against Social Security when they deny claims.

We can help you make your strongest case throughout the process and help you reach the financial stability that disability benefits provide so you can focus on taking care of yourself.

Talk to us today.