Is arthritis a disability? Can you get disability for arthritis? And how severe does my arthritis have to be to get disability benefits?
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) currently benefits millions of Americans and their families. However, many people who could benefit from the program are either unsure that they qualify or are intimidated by the process.
To see if your arthritis could qualify for disability, we must first understand how disabilities are evaluated.
What is Arthritis?
There are many types of arthritis that affect people all over the world. The two main forms of joint pain are rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.
Rheumatoid arthritis is an auto-immune disorder that affects the lining of your joints. After some time, it can harm your joint ligament and bones resulting in stiffness and pain.
Osteoarthritis happens when ligaments in your joints wear out over time. Many people may wonder is arthritis a disability. Yes. Arthritis can prompt incapacity, as can numerous other mental and physical conditions that qualify for disability.
If your arthritis confines your daily movements, or activities you may qualify for disability benefits.
Your level of disability depends on the daily activities you find troublesome. For illustration, you’ll have trouble:
walking up stairswalking for an extended period of timestanding or sittinggrasping small objectslifting 10 pounds or moreholding your arms up
Is Arthritis A Disability?
Yes, arthritis is considered a disability by the Social Security Administration. If you are unable to work because of your arthritis, you may qualify for disability benefits.
Since arthritis is seen as a disability, can you get a disability for arthritis?
The answer to this revolves around your working ability following your arthritis diagnosis. More specifically, if your arthritis keeps you from working for at least 12 months, then you may be able to qualify for disability benefits with arthritis. However, you will need to provide evidence that your arthritis meets the SSA’s definition of a disability as well as a Blue Book listing.
How Arthritis Can Cause Joint Dysfunction
Arthritis can cause your joints to encounter major dysfunction due to distortions such as misalignments, shortening of the joint or persistent pain and firmness.
In case your condition has expanded to a dysfunction in any of your joints, you should qualify for benefits.
Your therapeutic records (X-rays) and an explanation from your specialist ought to demonstrate that your joint isn’t working normally.
Your arthritis will appear as a deformity in your hip, lower leg or knees that creates difficulty to walk; or a disturbance in your shoulder, wrist or elbow that creates it difficulty to hold and lift items.
What Parts of the Body With Arthritis Can You Get Disability Benefits For?
Arthritis is an inflammation of the joints that can be extremely painful as the tissue surrounding the joints and adjacent tissues are the areas affected as over time, the cartilage in joints will break down, which leads to inflammation and arthritis. It’s possible to get arthritis in many parts of the body but it is particularly common in the knees and hands as these two parts of the body are used constantly.
Arthritis also occurs frequently in the back, shoulders, elbow and fingers. Disability linked with arthritis causes specific impairments such as the reduced mobility of joints, pain (acute or chronic) and body stiffness. In osteoarthritis which is the commonest type of arthritis, the spine, the hands and the weight-bearing joints such as the knees, hips and feet& are the most affected.
Arthritis in the hands can make work difficult, and so some people find themselves unable to perform their usual jobs and must seek out financial assistance.
You can file a claim for Social Security disability benefits with arthritis. You will need to demonstrate that your condition makes you unable to perform the requirements of your job, which is why collecting medical evidence is the most important part of your application.
In order to qualify for Social Security Disability with arthritis, you must meet the basic disability requirements set out by the Social Security Administration (SSA) which includes the inability to work for at least 12 months. You need to meet the SSA’s Blue Book requirements for arthritis before you are eligible to apply for disability benefits.
Spinal Arthritis And Social Security Disability
Can you get disability for arthritis of the spine? In the event that your joint pain is influencing your spine and compromising any nerve roots inside the spinal line, you will naturally qualify for benefits. In other words, you can get disability for back pain. More specifically, in order to have the best chance of getting disability for your spinal arthritis, your arthritis should cause your spinal cord to feel far reaching pain, restricted flexibility, and irritation that requires an alter in body position from time to time.
The causes of arthritis within the back or neck change depending on the sort of joint pain you have.
Regardless of the precise area, arthritis in the back or neck can be difficult and often turns out to be chronic. Other important information to keep in mind:
AgeWeightPresence of certain conditions such asdiabetes, psoriasis, tuberculosis, touchy bowel disorder and Lyme disease
Spinal joint pain may cause bone spurs — overgrowths on the edges of the bones. Within the spine, bone spurs especially influence facet joints, making them develop larger—a spine disorder that is called facet hypertrophy.
Can You Get Disability for Arthritis in Your Hands?
So, can you get disability for arthritis in your hands? The answer is yes, you are able to get disability for arthritis in your hands so long as you are capable of showing the SSA that you meet the medical and work requirements necessary in order to qualify for Social Security disability.
To meet the medical requirements, you need to match a listing in the SSA’s blue book, which is the list of conditions that can qualify someone for disability.
You may be able to get disability for arthritis in your hands if you meet the requirements for section 14.09 of the blue book, which is for inflammatory arthritis.
When you meet the medical requirements that the SSA outlines, you also need to have enough work credits, since Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is for those can no longer work full time because of a disability. Use our disability calculator to see how much you could be able to earn in disability benefits.
Qualifying With The Blue Book For Arthritis
Every SSDI application is reviewed during the Disability Determination Process, or DDS. During this process, a reviewer will look over your case and see if it fulfills the requirements for benefits laid out in the Social Security Blue Book.
The Blue Book, which can be viewed online, contains a list of disabilities (and their severities) that qualify for Social Security.
For example: if you are looking to see if your inflammatory arthritis qualifies for benefits, you would see section 14.00 – “Immune System Disorders”. Under this section is outlined four different qualifications for inflammatory arthritis to receive benefits. Either
There is persistent inflammation or deformity of your major joints,There is inflammation or deformity of your joints along with organ systems,There is an inflammation or deformity of the spine and/or its surrounding organs, orThere are repeated manifestations of inflammatory arthritis which limit your movement, social functioning, and daily life.
Overall, the Social Security Administration (SSA) is more likely to qualify you for benefits the more severe your impairment is. If your arthritis is consistent, untreatable, severely debilitating, and/or prevents you from earning a living for more than one year, then the chances you will receive benefits are high.
But, can you get disability for arthritis if you don’t meet a Blue Book listing or any of its other listed symptoms? If you do not meet the standards outlined in the Blue Book there may still be another way to qualify.
Medical Vocational Allowance for Arthritis
Can you get disability for arthritis with the help of a medical vocational allowance? A sizable portion of people receiving SSDI do not have a Blue Book-verified impairment. This is due to medical vocational allowances.
These are awarded when the SSA determines that your disease is not listed in the Blue Book, but is severe enough to require benefits anyway.
If your type of arthritis is either unlisted in the book or is questionably severe, you may still qualify for social security through a medical vocational allowance.
To qualify, you must prove in your application that your arthritis is severe and debilitating enough to keep you from leading a normal life.
This means including evidence of every aspect of your impairment, from doctor’s notes to medical bills to tests, lab results, physical therapist’s notes and surgery reports. You can even have your doctor fill out an RFC form, which is an official medical assessment that demonstrates your ability to function with your impairment.
What Are My Chances of Getting Disability for Arthritis?
Now that we’ve addressed the question, “can you get disability for arthritis,” let’s turn to a discussion regarding what your chances are of getting disability for arthritis.
First and foremost, by providing an ample amount of medical evidence to back up your claim that you can no longer work because of your arthritis, you may be able to increase your chances of getting disability for arthritis.
The specific medical evidence that could help increase your chances of getting disability for arthritis include a proof of disability from your doctor, details of the medical treatment you are receiving, your current symptoms and the medications you are taking. While medical evidence is key to having a strong claim, there are a few other signs that you will be approved for disability.
Around 63% of disability claim are denied initially so your chances of getting disability could increase by providing as much medical evidence to show the SSA that your arthritis is so severe that you cannot work because of it.
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Next Steps to Take
If you are considering applying for Social Security benefits, you should first consult with your primary care doctor. Not only can they provide copies of the paperwork necessary to apply, but their understanding of your medical history can help inform your decision.
You should also strongly consider speaking with a Social Security disability lawyer or disability advocate for disability benefits help. Their legal knowledge can help present your case as favorably as possible when applying for Social Security benefits, which is especially useful when your chances of qualifying are unsure.
It is common for applications to be denied benefits, although you can appeal any such decision. Be sure to look out for the signs that you will be denied for disability.
For more information, you can review the Blue Book and application requirements on the SSA’s website.