Social Security Disability

If someone you love suffers from mental retardation, it is likely they are going to need the support provided by Social Security disability benefits. In order to get them, you have to file a disability claim with the Social Security Administration, or SSA, and meet their criteria for disabilities in one of two ways:

Affective disorders, or mood disorders, can be incredibly serious and impact your life in drastic ways, preventing you from getting and keeping a steady job and even regularly engaging in the activities of daily living.

The Social Security Administration understands this, which is why they have made sure to include affective disorders as an official disability that can qualify you for benefits. But in order to get those benefits, you still need to meet the specific medical requirements they have set down, and this means doing one of two things:

Regardless of whether your affliction is physical or psychological, there are only two methods by which you can apply for Social Security disability. The first is to meet the criteria for a specific disability in their Listings of Impairments. The second is to show the SSA you have a condition that is the equivalent of one of these listed disabilities.

Option one is by far the most straightforward path to take, so matching a listing should always be your primary goal if you are applying. To do this, you first have to understand what the Listings of Impairments is.

Soft tissue injuries don’t sound very serious, but as anyone who has suffered from them knows, they can be life-altering. If you can’t work due to ongoing complications with a soft tissue injury and you’re thinking about applying for social security disability benefits, you need to understand how the claims process works and have your Social Security questions answered.

Winning a Social Security disability claim isn’t always easy, but if you are suffering from an upper extremity fracture that is impacting your quality of life and keeping you from getting and keeping a job because your arm or hand just doesn’t work very well anymore, sometimes it is the only route available to you.

So what do you need to know before you file for disability? One of the most important things to understand is that there are two ways you can be approved.

The first is by meeting the requirements spelled out for a specific disability in the SSA’s Listings of Impairments. If someone can show that their medical issue matches one of these definitions, they are automatically approved to start receiving benefits. Ideally, this is the approval route that you want to take because it is the most straightforward way to go.

Sometimes when you break your leg or fracture your pelvis, the injury is so severe that problems related to it just won’t go away and you need to apply for Social Security disability benefits. Obviously, though, breaking your leg isn’t enough in and of itself to qualify for disability. The SSA has specific criteria that you have to meet.

The clearest path to getting the benefits you need is to meet the definition laid out by the SSA in their Listings of Impairments. These listings include specific criteria for each qualifying medical issue, and if you are able to show that your condition matches a listing, disability benefits will be yours – you automatically qualify.

With so many people in our country classified as obese or overweight, it’s not uncommon for questions to arise about how obesity can affect a claim for disability benefits. Since obesity is a medical condition recognized by Social Security, can you argue that you’re disabled if you’re obese? How does it impact a claim based on a separate condition where the individual also happens to suffer from obesity?

Is Obesity a Disability?

Welcome to part six in our series on musculoskeletal disorders. You can read our previous posts on the subject here. One question that a lot of people have about musculoskeletal disorders is how prosthetics or other assistive devices fit in, so below we’re going to cover what role they play in getting disability benefits. To break it down in a clear way, there will be three sections: one for prosthetic devices, one for orthotic devices, and one for hand-held assistive devices.

Welcome to part six in our series on musculoskeletal disorders. You can read our previous posts on the subject here.

Today we’re going to talk about treatment. If you’ve been following these posts, you already know why treatment is important if you are considering applying for social security disability benefits – it acts as a record showing the existence, duration, and severity of your impairment. Moreover, anything that has been officially entered into your medical record regarding your disability has to be considered by the SSA before they can make a ruling.

By now we’ve covered what musculoskeletal disorders are, defined “loss of function,” gone over tests and procedures, and discussed the spinal exam. Documentation has come up from time to time, but we haven’t really gotten into the nuts and bolts of why it’s needed or what happens if you aren’t receiving ongoing treatment.

Below you’ll find answers to those questions and more.