The Social Security Administration evaluates disability by determining an individual’s limitations based on all of his or her impairments. As a result, people with many different impairments, even some that may not often be thought of as “disabling,” when combined with other problems, may qualify for benefits.
Some examples of people who may qualify for social security disability benefits, include:
A 50 year-old who has performed physical work for the past fifteen years and can no longer stand and walk for extended periods due to severe back pain;
A 31 year-old suffering from severe depression and anxiety, which prevents the individual from reliably showing up to work, instead missing work three or four times a month;
A 44 year-old with multiple sclerosis, who is unable to maintain focus on any task for more than thirty minutes at a time as a result of her symptoms;
A 38 year-old with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, who has to lie down for up to two hours each day.
This is just a sampling of some of the kinds of problems which may lead to an award of disability benefits. Some of the other impairments our successful clients have struggled with over the years include:
- Musculoskeletal Disorders
- Arthritis and related disorders
- Osteoarthritis
- Rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
- Degenerative Joint Disease
- Oseoarthrosis
- Ankylosing Spondylitis
- Degenerative Disc Disease (including herniated, ruptured, and bulging discs)
- Sarcoidosis
- Raynauds’s Syndrome
- Sjogren’s Syndrome
- Fibromyalgia (FMS)
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS)
- Cubital Tunnel Syndrome
- Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
- Brachial Plexus Neuropathy
- Tendonitis Bursistus
- Tenosynovitis
- Myofacial Plain Syndrome
- Chronic Pain Syndrome of the neck, back, and/or extremities
- Internal Derangement, shoulder
- Impingement syndrome, shoulder
- Torn rotator cuff, shoulder
- Gout
- Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome
- Fasciitis
- Osteomyelitis
- Severe sprains and strains
- Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD) / Complex Regional Pain Sydrome
- Cervical radiculopathy
- Lumbar radiculopathy
- Dystonia
- Connective Tissue Disorders
- Systematic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE)
- Scleroderma
- Psychiatric Disorders
- Major Depression
- Bipolar Disorder (types 1 & 2)
- Anxiety disorders
- Personality disorders
- Schizophrenia
- Panic disorders
- Agoraphobia
- Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Neurologic Disorders
- Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
- Intracranial disease (including brain tumor, cerebral vascular disease/stroke, cerebral infections)
- Spinal cord disease
- Peripheral nerve disease
- Neurologic manifestations, including chronic pain, headache, seizures, tremors, vertigo
- Guillain-Barre syndrome
- Trigeminal Neuralgia
- Hepatic and Biliary Disorders
- Hepatitis C
- Hepatitis A and B
- Cirrhosis
- Liver Disease
- Cardiovascular Disorders
- Coronary artery disease, including Angina Pectoris and Myocardial Infarction
- Mitral Valve Prolapse
- Congestive Heart Failure
- Myocardial disease
- Venous Thrombosis
- Pulmonary Edema Hypertension
- Peripheral vascular disorders
- Respiratory Disorders
- Chronic Bronchitis
- Asthma
- Emphysema
- COPD
- Pulmonary Fribrosis
- Gastrointestinal Disorders
- Ulcerative colitis
- Crohn’s disease
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
- Fecal incontinence
- Miscellaneous
- Migraine headaches
- Morbid obesity