A person with arthritis can be eligible for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) if he or she satisfies the Blue Book listing. Arthritis can be an extremely painful and stressful condition for any person. Although the severity of the condition varies from case to case, many people with arthritis are incapable of working due to the pain and restricted movement that the condition can cause.
Classification of Arthritis by Social Security Administration (SSA)
The SSA has procedures that it leverages to establish whether a person is eligible for SSDI benefits. These procedures are called “Blue Book Listings.” Arthritis is one of the disabling conditions in the Blue Book Listings that make someone eligible for disability benefits. However, a positive diagnosis of arthritis is not an automatic qualification for disability. To qualify for disability benefits, a person with inflammatory arthritis must satisfy the following requirements in the Blue Book Listings.
- Deformity or persistent swelling of hip, knee, or ankle joints with two or more of the following symptoms: fever, fatigue, unplanned weight loss, and soreness, and Two or more body systems or organs involved, with one of them involved in a mild level of severity.
- Inability to walk due to deformity or swelling of a weight-bearing joint
- Severe and persistent swelling of one or more main arm joints in the two arms. The severity should be enough to interfere with everyday activities like self-feeding, personal hygiene, shopping, or driving.
- Ongoing and recurring episodes of inflammatory arthritis with at least two body systems affected. It should also affect social activities, cognitive abilities, and everyday living tasks.
- Ankylosing Spondylitis: a disease characterized by the inflammation and fusing of spinal joints.
Proving Eligibility for Disability Benefits
When reviewing applications for SSDI benefits, SSA concentrates on the capability of the applicant to work and earn a significant income. If a person cannot work and earn an income, then he or she is eligible for disability benefits. However, a person must prove that he or she is unable to perform work due to his or her arthritis condition.
Social security lawyers can help individuals with arthritis obtain the necessary documents and guide them throughout the process of filing for SSDI. They can also increase their chances of qualifying for SSDI benefits by presenting their cases as carefully and favorably as possible.