From P. Allen Jones: I know the inability to work because of sickle cell disease is nothing to take lightly. One thing we often experience is excessive absences, inability to perform duties and termination due to sickness. In the US, the Social Security Administration (SSA) will give disability benefits to qualified individuals. The problem for many people, it's difficult to navigate this Agency and their requirements. Thanks to Ram Meyyappan, the following guest-blog post hopes to offer helpful information.
Applying
for Social Security Disability with Sickle Cell Disease
Article by Ram Meyyappan
Social Security Disability Help
The Social Security Administration (SSA) counts Sickle Cell
Anemia among the potentially disabling conditions that can qualify a person to
receive Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits. If you suffer from Sickle
Cell disease and are now unable to work as you once were, you may be able to
receive disability benefits through either, or both, of the SSA’s disability
programs.
SSD
Programs
The SSA has two disability programs:
- Social
Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), which is a program for disabled
workers who have built up work credits over the course of their employment
and who earn below the threshold for what the SSA considers “substantial”
income per month due to a severe and medically provable disability.
- Supplemental
Security Income (SSI), which is a need-based program designed to pay
disability benefits to those who either do not meet the criteria for
receiving SSDI, or who have such limited income and resources that they
need additional monthly financial support.
You can learn more about SSDI and SSI here: www.ssa.gov/pgm/disability.htm
Medical
Requirements for Receiving SSD
In addition to meeting the basic technical eligibility
criterion for receiving SSD benefits under either of the SSA’s disability programs,
you must also show that your Sickle Cell disease is severely debilitating. There are basic medical eligibility
requirements as well as condition-specific medical records and evidence
necessary for SSD approval.
The requirements for every disability that qualifies for
benefits include having a condition that:
- Prevents you from
earning a “gainful living”,
AND
- Has been present,
or is expected to last, at least 12 months, or which is terminal.
The condition-specific requirements for being approved for
SSD with Sickle Cell disease can be found in Section 7.05 of the SSA’s Blue
Book, the manual of medical conditions used by disability determinations
examiners.
This listing requires you experience the at least one
following and have substantial medical evidence to back up your symptom claims:
- Three or more
episodes of thrombotic (painful) crises in the five months prior to the
review of your disability claim,
- Three or more
extended hospital stays in the year prior to the review of your disability
claim,
- Severe and chronic
anemia with a hematocrit of 26 percent or lower
Sickle
Cell Complications and SSD Benefits
If you experience severe medical complications, affecting
other body systems, then you can potentially be approved for disability
benefits under the Blue Book listings for other conditions, even if your Sickle
Cell disease doesn’t meet the listing in Section 7.05. Here are a few of the
other areas of the Blue Book under which your claim for disability benefits
could be evaluated by the SSA:
- Congestive Heart
Failure – Section 4.02
- Kidney Failure
–Section 6.00
- Stroke – Section
11.04
- Impaired Vision
–Sections 2.02, 2.03, and 2.04
- Musculoskeletal
System – Section 1.0
Concurrent
Conditions and SSD
It is also important to note that the SSA does take all of
your medical conditions into account when determining if you meet the
eligibility requirements for disability benefits. In other words, your
application for benefits should include medical records that detail all of the
affects of your Sickle Cell Disease in order to support your claim for
benefits. This includes the primary and secondary effects (complications) of
your Sickle Cell disorder.
Getting
Started with Your Disability Application
Beginning your application as soon as possible is important,
as the review process can take a number of months. You can begin your
application online immediately, at the SSA’s website www.ssa.gov/pgm/disability.htm or you can schedule an appointment to complete
your application in person at your local SSA office.
Work with your doctor to complete the necessary medical evaluation.
You will need to provide extensive information on your medical condition, how
it affects your ability to work and your (limited) daily activities in your
personal life, as well as details regarding your work history, earnings, and
your education and training. You will also need to submit details regarding
your income and other financial resources.
For more information on sickle cell disease and SSD, please
visit:
www.disability-benefits-help.org
NOTE: This is not a government help
website.
Neither
this site www.disability-benefits-help.org nor any lawyer or advocate
associated with it is affiliated in any way with or endorsed by the Social
Security Administration. By requesting a free evaluation, the user will be
provided with the name of an independent lawyer or advocate who will contact
the user to do the evaluation. Social Security Disability Help is not a lawyer
or law firm. It is an advertising service paid for by the lawyers and advocates
whose names are provided in response to user requests and it is not an attorney
referral service.
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