Can You Qualify For Social Security Disability With Diabetes?
If you are suffering from diabetes and have become unable to work because of it, you may be qualified to get payments from the Social Security Administration. While the disease of diabetes itself is no longer on the list of conditions that the SSA considers disabilities, the related illnesses that are caused by the disease are eligible for consideration. For more information on how to get Social Security benefits to cover your diabetes-related illnesses, read on.
1. The SSA requires that your illness be severe enough that you are unable to work for at least one year and that you have worked enough to have accumulated at least 40 work credits. Proving that your medical condition is bad enough to impact your ability to work is vital.
2. Diabetes that is not well-controlled can lead to a number of debilitating conditions, making it difficult or impossible to work at your job. Diabetes causes the levels of sugar in your blood to be too high, resulting in nerve damage, neurological problems, kidney problems and more.
If you have any of the following conditions, you may qualify for benefits:
- Neuropathy: nerve damage that causes numbness, burning and tingling of the extremities
- Diabetic Retinopathy: vision damage in one or both eyes (you can qualify even if only one eye is affected)
- Amputation: caused by nerve damage to one or more limbs or extremities
- Cardiovascular Disease
- Kidney Disease
3. To be approved for benefits for any of these conditions, you must submit your medical records. For each condition (and you should list all that you have been diagnosed with), you should specifically link the symptoms of your disorder with job-related activities. For example, if your neuropathy causes your hands to shake too much to do work, make sure that this specific symptom is mentioned by your doctor in your records.
4. Make sure that, if possible, you see a specialist, such as a neurologist for neuropathy, instead of your family doctor, since the specialist's opinions bear more weight with the SSA. The SSA provides you with a helpful form to take with you to the doctor, and it can be accessed here.
Satisfying the medical requirements to qualify for Social Security Disability is not easy, so being prepared and having the help of a Social Security Attorney is vital. Your social security disability lawyer is experienced with gathering the important medical records needed in a timely manner as well as assisting you in filing for your appeal should you be initially denied.
