What Conditions Automatically Qualify You for Disability? (2024)

10M+people receiving Social Security benefits

In an effort to provide exceptional client service, Hardison & Cochran only handles Disability Claims where the claimant lives in the state of North Carolina. If you’re seeking disability benefits and you’re outside of North Carolina, we urge you to search for a licensed attorney within your state or find a law firm that handles claims nationwide.

According to the most recent statistics from theSocial Security Administration (SSA), there are more than 10 million people receiving Social Security benefits based on a disability. That total included 8.9 million disabled workers, more than 1 million disabled adults and 259,000 disabled widows and widowers in 2015. In addition, 141,000 spouses and 1.6 million studentchildren of disabled workers receive benefits.

The legal definition of “disability” states that a person can be considered disabled if they are unable to perform any substantial gainful activity due to a medical or physical impairment or impairments which can be expected to result in death or which has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months.

OurSocial Security disability (SSD) attorneys at Hardison & Cochranunderstand that the Social Security Administration’s listings of medical impairments that qualify for disability benefits can be confusing. Listed below are some of the most common types of disabilities. Our knowledgeable attorneys can help you appeal your case if the Administration has denied your claim for SSD. We assist people throughout North Carolina in pursuing disability claims. The sooner you contact us, the quicker we can get started to work on your disability appeal.

Some conditions that may automatically qualify the policyholder for Social Security Disability benefits are as follows.

• 

  Musculoskeletal system and connective problems including:

  • Arthritis
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Back pain
  • Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD).

• 

  Mental disorders including:

  • Mood disorders
  • Autism or Asperger’s syndrome
  • Schizophrenia
  • Depression
  • PTSD

• 

  Cardiovascular conditions and circulatory disorders:

  • Angina
  • Heart diseases
  • Hypertension

• 

  Cancer

• 

  Nervous system and sense organs conditions:

  • Parkinson’s diseases
  • Blindness
  • Epilepsy
  • Hearing loss

Musculoskeletal System and Connective Tissue

The SSA reports that the largest category of diagnoses among disabled workers receiving disability benefits was diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue. These disabilities, which represented 32.3 percent of the diagnoses, involve damage to one’s nerves, muscles, tendons or ligaments. Examples of this type of disorder include:

Arthritis

An individual with rheumatoid arthritis, a disorder of the immune system, must experience significant limits on his or her ability to work to qualify for benefits under this medical diagnosis. Rheumatoid arthritis is sometimes referred to as a connective tissue disorder.

(scoliosis, degenerative disc disease, ruptured disc or spinal disorders)—Abnormal curvature of the spine may affect an individual’s ability to walk as well as the function of other body systems. The intensity of back pain and the limitations on an individual’s ability to function are considered in a disability diagnosis related to back pain.

Fibromyalgia is a complex syndrome in which a person has widespread pain in the joints, tendons, muscles and soft tissues that lasts for more than three months. Claims reviewers will try to assess whether there is adequate evidence to show that the condition limits a person’s ability to perform any type of gainful work.

(RSD) — RSD describes a range of symptoms that may occur from injury, diseases or surgery. RSD is characterized by intense burning or aching pain typically caused by trauma to a single extremity.

Mental Disorders

According to the SSA, nearly 20 percent of disability benefits were awarded to individuals withqualifying mental disorders. Individuals must have a medically diagnosed mental condition and it must cause an extreme limitation in an individual’s ability to function independently. The Social Security Administration groups mental disorders into broad categories, including:

• Mood disorders

  (anxiety, depression, panic attacks) – To qualify for disability, the anxiety disorder or depression must cause limitations in the ability to understand and apply information, to have social interactions with others, to concentrate and to manage oneself.

• Schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders

  Disability claims reviewers look for medical documentations that the individual has delusions or hallucinations, and disorganized thinking.

• Organic mental disorder

  The criteria for Social Security Disability benefits based on organic mental disorder, also known as organic brain syndrome, vary with the particular disorder, but typically involve a doctor’s documentation that an individual has shown one or more symptoms of organic mental disorder such as confusion, loss of cognitive ability and memory loss.

• Post-traumatic stress disorder

  (PTSD) – Post-traumatic stress is a type of anxiety disorder. A person with PTSD may qualify as having a disabling mood disorder if the condition is properly medically documented.

• Autism or Asperger’s syndrome

  Individuals with Autism spectrum disorders may qualify for disability benefits if they have medically documented deficits in verbal communication, non-verbal communication and social interaction and limitations in the ability to understand, recall and apply information, to interact with others, to concentrate and to manage oneself

• Alcoholism or drug addiction

  You cannot qualify for disability if drug or alcohol abuse is a contributing factor to the condition. Mental disorders due to drug or alcohol addiction are not considered organic mental disorders.

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