Can you get Social Security disability for degenerative joint disease?
May 22, 2017 · Degenerative joint disease may qualify for disability benefits if it prevents you from working. Call 865-566-0800 to find out if you’re eligible.
What is degenerative joint disease?
Is degenerative joint disease considered a disability? If you have been diagnosed with osteoarthritis and it has impacted your ability to work, you may qualify for Social Security Disability benefits. It is also known as a degenerative joint disease because the condition can worsen. It can either be a primary or secondary condition.
Can you get disability for degenerative disc disease?
Degenerative joint disease and Filing for Disability Degnerative Disc disease is one of the most common medical conditions listed on SSD and SSI disability applications. While this condition can cause significant limitations to a person's daily activities, it can be difficult to qualify for disability benefits.
What are the symptoms of degenerative joint disease and filing disability?
Jul 04, 2018 · If you have degenerative arthritis, also known as degenerative joint disease (DJD) and osteoarthritis, you might qualify for benefits through one of Social Security’s two disability programs, Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
What is a DJD?
DJD is also called degenerative arthritis or osteoarthritis. DJD is addressed in two areas in the Blue Book: 1 Major dysfunction of a joint; and 2 Disorders of the spine.
How long do you have to work to get SSDI?
For every three-month period that you work enough, you will earn work credits. Until you have accumulated enough work credits, you will not be eligible for SSDI benefits, because SSDI is an insurance program. The number of work credits you need will depend upon your age at the time you became disabled.
What is the Blue Book for Social Security?
The SSA uses the Blue Book, also called the Listing of Impairments, to evaluate medical conditions for the purpose of disability benefits.
Can I get SSDI if I have no work credits?
There is a safety net for people who are disabled but have not accumulated enough work credits to qualify for SSDI benefits. If you have low income and few assets, you might qualify for Supplemental Security Income ( SSI ). Although both SSDI and SSI programs are administered by the SSA, they are considered separate and receive their funding from completely different sources. Both programs, however, use the Blue Book to evaluate medical conditions. You must meet the Blue Book medical qualifications in order to receive SSI benefits.
What is functional ability?
Functionality refers to your ability to carry out work duties as well as daily living activities, such as: 1 Eating 2 Bathing 3 Dressing 4 Toileting
What is the Blue Book for Social Security?
The Blue Book is a list of conditions that qualify for Social Security disability. Under each condition is a list of qualifying criteria. If your diagnosis meets all the criteria for that condition, you are eligible for disability based on the Blue Book listing.
How To Apply For Social Security Disability For Degenerative Joint Disease
Degenerative joint disease also called osteoarthritis causes the progressive depletion of cartilage within the joints. The accompanying swelling and inflammation of the joints, as well as adjacent tissues, can cause severe pain and hinder movement.
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What is the most common type of arthritis?
Osteoarthritis, the most common type of arthritis, occurs when the cartilage on the ends of your bones wears down. This can cause pain and stiffness in the joints, swelling, muscle weakness, and a reduced range of motion in the affected joints. Osteoarthritis can occur in any joint, but is most often found in the hands, hips, knees, or spine.
How to know if you have osteoarthritis?
If you have osteoarthritis in your hips, knees, ankles, shoulders, elbows, wrists, or hands, you might meet the listing for having an abnormality of a major joint. In order to meet this listing, you must have an obvious deformity in a joint: medical imaging (such as an MRI) must show joint space narrowing, ankylosis (when your joints fuse), or the destruction of bone. You must also have a history of joint pain and stiffness and a loss of motion in the joint. In addition, you need medical documentation that: 1 you need to use a walker, bilateral canes or crutches, or a wheelchair or scooter that requires both hands, OR 2 you can't use one hand due to arthritis, and you need the other to operate a one-handed wheelchair, cane, crutch, or other device, OR 3 you can't use either arm or hand to begin, sustain, and finish work.
What does RFC mean on Social Security?
If you have osteoarthritis but you don't meet the criteria under any of the listings discussed above, the Social Security Administration (SSA) will look at your " residual functional capacity ," or "RFC." Your RFC assessment is used by the SSA to determine what kind of work you are still capable of doing despite the limitations from your arthritis.
Can you get disability for arthritis?
Osteoarthritis causes pain and stiffness in the joints for many people as they get older (it is sometimes called degenerative arthritis), but few people qualify for disability for arthritic pain and stiffness alone. But as arthritis symptoms continue to grow worse, the symptoms can severely limit an individual's mobility, ...
What is the term for the degenerative disc disease?
Degenerative disc disease (DDD, sometimes known as spondylosis ) is a term used to describe what happens when the intervertebral discs become dehydrated and shrink, a part of the natural aging process.
How long does disc degeneration last?
(One requirement for Social Security disability benefits is that an impairment must be expected to last for 12 months.)
Can you get disability if you have degenerative disc disease?
If your degenerative disc disease has reduced your functional capacity—that is, your capacity to work—you might be able to qualify for disability benefits under what's called a "medical-vocational allowance.".
What is the SSA rating?
The SSA is required to evaluate your doctor's notes on your functional limitations and restrictions, as well as your reports of pain, to determine if your disc problems limit you to medium or light work (this rating is called your residual functional capacity, or RFC).
How to treat DDD?
The pain is usually intermittent and is treated with pain medications, ice, and intermittent heat. Some patients suffering from DDD have trouble sitting or standing for prolonged periods of time, or lifting and bending, and this can make it difficult to work many jobs.
Can degenerative disc disease cause herniation?
In addition, degenerative disc disease can make the discs more susceptible to herniation. If degenerative disc disease develops into one of the following more serious conditions, you have a better chance at getting disability benefits (the following conditions link to more disability articles): arachnoiditis.