If you have been denied Social Security with lupus, you might think that you have no other way to receive financial assistance because of the disability.
However, for most disability applicants, the Social Security Administration (SSA) denies initial claims. This means that although you should focus on the initial disability benefits claim, you have to be ready to file an appeal for a lupus disability claim.
Filing an appeal requires you to submit more compelling medical evidence, as well as complete a Residual Functional Capacity (RFC) assessment.
Severity of Symptoms Needed
When you file the initial disability claim for lupus, you submitted information that explained the symptoms that have kept you out of work.
According to a medical guide published by the SSA called the Blue Book, lupus falls under the medical conditions listed in Section 14.0. which are adult immune system disorders. Meeting the Blue Book listing for lupus is just the first step on the path towards getting an appeal approved by the SSA.
The second step involves demonstrating that you suffer from severe symptoms of the immune system disease. Lupus can trigger many severe symptoms that include chronic fatigue and sharp pain in the muscles located in one or more areas of the body.
Lupus patients that suffer from advanced stages of the disease feel pain while breathing at a normal rate. Debilitating pain in the chest can force a worker to visit an emergency room because the pain not only makes it impossible to stand straight, the pain also mimics the sign of a heart attack.
Diagnostic Tests Confirm Severe Lupus Symptoms
To reverse your lupus denied disability claim, you have to present more evidence that verifies the severity of your symptoms.
The first diagnostic test your physician might perform is running a complete blood count, which is a diagnostic test that measures the number of red and white blood cells, as well as the amount of protein in the red blood cells.
From there, your doctor has several options for diagnostic tests, with a blood test determining how fast your red blood cells accumulate at the bottom of a test tube.
A faster than normal accumulation rate can indicate the development of an immune system disease such as lupus. A urinalysis can detect an increase in the protein levels of your red blood cells, which shows how much lupus has impacted your kidneys.
Undergoing an RFC
Because the severity of symptoms is an important factor in overturning denied disability benefits, a medical examiner from the SSA will conduct an RFC to determine if you can continue to work at your current job.
Since lupus is a disease that causes fatigue, you can expect an RFC assessment to include at least one test that measures your stamina.
Pedaling on a stationary bike and/or performing calisthenics can help the medical examiner from the SSA measure your stamina. You might also have to complete exercises that indicate your level of pain.
What To Do Next
Getting a denied disability claim reversed by the SSA requires the submission of more medical documents that support your case.
A Social Security lawyer can help you gather and organize the medical documents you need to persuade the SSA to approve your appeal for financial assistance.
A Social Security attorney is also helpful in reminding you about pending filing deadlines. You have 60 days after receiving the letter from the SSA denying your claim to file an appeal.
