If you have been diagnosed with a life-changing illness and are now finding that your job is harder, you may be wondering if you'll qualify for disability benefits due to your condition.
Every claimant's application will be different depending on your symptoms. This means that two people can apply with the same diagnosis and get wildly different approval results for Social Security benefits.
Your work history is factor that plays into how "disabling" your condition is. If you have always worked on your feet, such as on a construction site or as a chef, you will likely have a better chance of qualifying than those with desk jobs.
The SSA's Blue Book
The SSA has its own medical guide known as the Blue Book, which is used to evaluate every disability claimant. To show that your condition is disabling and warrants benefits, you'll usually need to meet the Blue Book's listing corresponding with your diagnosis.
You'll also need medical evidence to back up your application--The SSA will need to see that you do in fact meet its Blue Book listing. Without receiving treatment from a doctor, it'll be nearly impossible to win your Social Security claim.
Your Claim By Condition
Here is some more information on how disabling some common conditions are:
- Blood Clot
- Brain Tumor
- Breast Cancer
- Cancer
- Cirrhosis of the Liver
- Colon Cancer
- Crohn's Disease
- Degenerative Disc Disease
- Heart Transplant
- Herniated Disc
- Hip Replacement
- Kidney Dialysis
- Kidney Disease
- Liver Disease
- Liver Transplant
- Lower Extremity Amputation
- Lumbar Spinal Stenosis
- Lung Cancer
- Neuropathy
- Osteoarthritis
- Osteoporosis
- Pancreatic Cancer
- Paralysis
- Paraplegia
- Prostate Cancer
- Quadriplegia
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Stroke
- Testicular Cancer
- Upper Extremity Amputation
- Vision Loss
The most important resource you could use to determine how much your condition limits you is a Social Security disability attorney or advocate. A SSDI attorney or advocate can help evaluate your claim based on your medical evidence, work history, and other factors that play a large role in your claim.
