What Medical Conditions Qualify for Social Security Disability?

It is important to understand which medical conditions qualify for Social Security disability when talking about Social Security disability benefits. In order to determine eligibility, the Social Security Administration or SSA usually evaluates a lot of different kinds of impairments. Find out some of the common medical conditions that may qualify below.

Definition of Medical Conditions

Medical conditions include all physical and mental impairments that limit people to do their daily activities. To help the people who have medical conditions performing important daily tasks, medical attention is needed. Talking about medical attention, it varies. However, most of them are expensive. In order to access affordable and effective medical services, social security disability benefits are needed.

Programs that Benefit Persons with Disabilities

There are a total of two programs under the Social Security Administration or SSA that provide those with disabilities. The first one is the Social Security Disability Insurance or SSDI. This one provides benefits to the people with disabilities who are insured under the Social Security Act. The second one is the Supplemental Security Income program or SSI. As for this program, it provides supplemental income to the disabled people who are having a hard time financially.

Medical Conditions that Qualify for Social Security Disability

There are a number of medical conditions that qualify for Social Security disability. They are divided into 14 by the Social Security Administrative or SSA, as written in its Blue Book. The list includes:

1. Musculoskeletal disorders

For anyone with pain or have limited ability to do basic physical tasks, there is a chance for you to qualify for disability. The challenges that you may have include the inability to sit, walk, stand, or lift items for a long time. Usually, the requirements to apply for disability are the same, regardless how severe the conditions are.

2. Disorders in special senses

Apparently, 10% of the SSDI recipients have at least one of the conditions such as blindness, deafness, or other sensory disorders. It means, people with these conditions can apply for disability. However, there is no guarantee as the rules can be complicated. To calculate your chance of getting the benefits, make sure to learn about the SSA guide to sensory disorders and bring them to your doctor.

3. Respiratory disorders

Those with respiratory disorders can qualify for Social Security disability. So, if you have asthma and your illness makes you unable to do daily tasks, you may be qualified for disability. Beside asthma, the other common respiratory illnesses that can qualify for the same thing include COPD, sleep apnea, emphysema, cystic fibrosis, chronic pulmonary hypertension, and long covid.

4. Cardiovascular disorders

Everyone with a disorder that affects the proper functioning of the heart or the circulatory system has the chance to qualify for disability, just like the 6.8% of SSDI recipients. The most common cardiovascular and heart conditions that qualify for these benefits include coronary artery disease, aneurysms (especially if you also feel pain in the chest), postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome or POTS, and congestive heart failure (especially after being treated at the hospital due to episodes). Their chance of getting qualified for disability is higher if at least one of the issues as the result of the cardiovascular disease, such as pulmonary vascular disease, central cyanosis, inadequate cardiac output, syncope or near syncope, chronic heart failure or ventricular dysfunction, and discomfort or pain due to myocardial ischemia.

5. Digestive disorders

Digestive disorders can qualify for disability in case of severe or difficult to treat. The most common conditions include chronic hepatitis, chronic disease, chronic liver disease, ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome or IBS in rare cases, Crohn’s disease, and inflammatory bowel disease.

6. Genitourinary disorders

People with genitourinary disorders can also qualify for disability. The most common one is chronic kidney disease. For anyone with renal failure and is receiving dialysis, there is a guarantee of you to be automatically qualified for disability. When submitting your application, you are recommended to contact your Disability Determination Services or DDS office to make it approved quickly.

7. Hematological disorders

According to the data, 0.3% of people with disability have hematological disorders. The most common conditions include thalassemia, sickle cell disease, myelofibrosis, myelodysplastic syndromes, hemolytic anemias, granulocytopenia, aplastic anemia, and disorders of bone marrow failure. Besides, it is also possible for those with hematological disorders to qualify for complications from the treatment of these disorders or procedures that involve bone marrow or stem cell transplantation. First of all, the SSA will usually look at the lab tests first, as the hematological conditions are usually documented by lab tests performed and signed by a physician.

8. Skin disorders

For your information, 0.2% of disability recipients have skin disorders. The ones with skin disorders can qualify for disability if they have been suffering from it for a long time. The skin conditions that may qualify include ichthyosis, genetic sensitivity disorders, dermatitis (allergic contact dermatitis, exfoliative dermatitis, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, or dyshidrosis), burns (especially if it is treated with a skin graft), and bullous diseases (erythema multiforme bullosum, pemphigus).

9. Endocrine disorders

There are many endocrine disorders that can qualify for disability. The most common one is diabetes. The other ones include hyperglycemia, thyroid gland disorders, pituitary gland disorders, parathyroid gland disorders, and adrenal gland disorders.

Unlike the other disorders, it should be noted that with endocrine disorders, the effect of it on your other bodily systems will also be evaluated by the SSA. For instance, if your parathyroid gland disorder changes the calcium levels in your bones, the parathyroid-related osteoporosis and fractures such as a musculoskeletal disorder will be evaluated. Another example is if your thyroid gland disorder causes mood disorders, cognitive limitations, or anxiety. In this case, the SSA will evaluate these things just like they do it with mental health disorders.

10. Congenital disorders

Congenital disorders are the kinds of disorders that are already determined even before or during birth. It includes down syndrome. Remember that it will be needed for you to secure a laboratory report with karyotype analysis to be able to differentiate mosaic from the non-mosaic kind of down syndrome.

11. Neurologic disorders

A lot of conditions or circumstances of neurologic disorders can qualify for disability, including insomnia, epilepsy, carpal tunnel, cerebral palsy, migraines in severe cases, narcolepsy, multiple sclerosis, stroke, traumatic brain injury, peripheral neuropathy, and Parkinson’s disease. In fact, some even can qualify automatically, such as ASL or Lou Gehrig’s disease.

12. Mental disorders

It is possible for mental health conditions to qualify for disability benefits. In fact, they are one of the most common conditions. The most common mental health conditions that qualify for these benefits include depression, anxiety, bipolar disorders, eating disorders, panic disorders, personality and impulse-control disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder or OCD, autism spectrum disorders, borderline personality disorder or BPD, development disorders, schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders, and PTSD and other disorders that are related to trauma and stress. The chance of you qualifying for disability is higher if you also have another health condition, such as kidney, back pain, and so on.

13. Cancers

Those with cancers can qualify for disability. Having a stage 4 cancer will make one automatically qualify for disability and their application may be prioritized by the SSA. The types of cancer that commonly qualify include leukemia, stomach cancer, lung cancer, lymphoma, prostate cancer, and breast cancer. Aside from these cancers, there are also cancers that qualify for accelerated approval, including liver cancer, acute leukemia, esophageal cancer, breast cancer with distant metastases, gallbladder cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, small cell lung cancer, small cell cancer of female genital tract, small cancer (prostate, large intestine, or thymus), and ovarian cancer with distant metastases.

14. Immune system disorders

The last type of mental conditions that qualify for disability is immune system disorders. The most common conditions include HIV/AIDS, lupus, and gout. Among them, the applications of those with AIDS can be fast-tracked, just like the applications of those with cancers. Apart from that, the other immune conditions that are possible to qualify include systemic vasculitis, systemic sclerosis or scleroderma, Raynaud’s phenomenon, and polymyositis and dermatomyositis.

Bottom Line

In conclusion, there are a lot of medical conditions that qualify for Social Security disability. The details have been given above. For anyone who thinks that your medical condition qualifies, you can consider looking for guidance from the processional so that you will be able to apply for the benefits you deserve.