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.
The SSA, or Social Security Administration, has two methods by which claimants can be approved for disability benefits.
- Meet the criteria for a specific condition in their Listings of Impairments.
- Use the Five Step Sequential Evaluation Process to show the SSA that your disability is the equivalent of one included in their list.
Qualifying via option one is preferable because it’s a much more clear-cut path to benefits, but you need to know what’s required. It works like this: the SSA has created specific definitions and medical criteria for various disabilities that they detail in their Listings of Impairments. If you prove to them that your condition fits one of these definitions, they will immediately approve your claim as long as you’ve been out of work or are expected to be jobless for 12 months or more.
So what does this mean for people with soft tissue injuries trying to qualify under Listing 1.08?
What Listing 1.08 Requires From You
Listing 1.08 Soft Tissue Injuries of an Upper or Lower Extremity, Trunk, or Face and Head is both very specific and very general. It’s general in the sense that it covers a lot of ground, injury-wise. Essentially, being hurt anywhere on your body qualifies, and pertinent injuries include:
- Skin injuries
- Muscle injuries
- Lymphatic system injuries
- Vein injuries
- Artery injuries
- Ligament and tendon injuries
- Nerve injuries
Serious burns are one of the most common types of qualifying soft tissue injuries.
But the listing is also specific in that those who qualify for it need to be under ongoing surgical care for the express purpose of restoring or salvaging a major function which has not been (or is believed will not be) restored for at least 12 months.
You can prove that you meet these criteria by providing the SSA with positive results from one or more of the following objective medical tests:
- Simmonds’ Test
- McMurray’s Test
- Ludington’s Test
- Extremity Ultrasound
- Range of Motion Tests
- MicroPhage MRSA/MSSA Blood Culture Test
- BD GeneOhmTM MRSA Test
- Laser Doppler Flowmetry
For a free legal consultation, call 800-562-9830
What If You Don’t Meet The Criteria In The Listing?
Don’t forget that you can still qualify for benefits even if you aren’t able to meet the criteria set down in the Listing. The path to benefits isn’t quite as straightforward or simple, but you can use the SSA’s Five Step Sequential Evaluation Process to show that your issue equals one that the SSA recognizes by proving that it has kept you from being able to work for at least 12 months or that the prevailing medical opinion is that you won’t be able to work for that long or longer.
Whichever route you choose to qualify through, it pays to understand how the SSA works and what evidence truly helps your case. Because of this, your chances of success can increase if you work with an experienced Social Security disability lawyer who can answer your Social Security questions and guide you through the process. Learn even more about the claims process by reading our Social Security Disability eBook for free!
Call or text 800-562-9830 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
