If you are suffering from an injury or illness that is keeping you from working, you could qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance . One of the first stops for most disabled people when determining if they might qualify for benefits should be the Social Security Administration’s Listing of Impairments.
If your illness or injury matches one of the listings, you may automatically qualify for benefits. If you have one of the listed conditions, but the specifics of your condition aren’t an exact match for the listing, you could still qualify for SSDI if your condition keeps you from working.
How to find out if your disability is on the list:
There are 14 categories of medical conditions in which your specific disability could be listed. They include: Musculoskeletal system, special senses and speech, respiratory system, cardiovascular system, digestive system, genitourinary impairments, hematological disorders, skin disorders, endocrine disorders, congenital disorders that affect multiple body systems, neurological, mental disorders, malignant neoplastic diseases, and immune system disorders.
You can see the lists of disorders and their descriptions on the SSA website: http://www.ssa.gov/disability/professionals/bluebook/AdultListings.htm
Talk to a doctor.
The listings are complicated and it’s hard to know if your actual condition is a match in some cases. It’s critical that you talk with a South Carolina doctor before applying for SSDI benefits. The doctor can help you understand the listing, and if you qualify; and can order the necessary tests to prove your condition matches the one in the list of impairments.
Gray Area…
Even if your condition is not an exact match for one in the list, you could still qualify for disability benefits if your condition is severe enough to keep you from working. In most cases, your illness or injury will still need to be in the list of impairments, but it might not have to manifest in precisely the way it’s described in the list.
Contact a lawyer to improve your chances.
If you want to do everything you can to make your initial application as strong as possible, or if your first application was denied, you can contact an experienced South Carolina Social Security Disability attorney to help prepare a strong argument for why your condition may qualify you for disability benefits.
George Sink, P.A. Injury Lawyers have helped hundreds of disabled South Carolina residents secure the benefits they need and deserve. Contact our skilled and responsive SSDI teams in any of our South Carolina office locations to learn more about your rights and options in pursuing disability benefits.