Social security disability lawyers know that ongoing conditions are challenging not just for the individual but for their entire family. Not only are you worried about getting back on track with your life, but those around you are worried about your health and finances. Medical costs are expensive, even with good insurance. But, even if you have the medical costs managed, you may not account for missing out on weeks or months without work and have no access to financial support.
Complications with Disability Applications for Ongoing Conditions
Ongoing conditions don’t usually outright restrict a person from working. That can leave people with crippling asthma, COPD, HIV, cancer, MS, and more without employment for weeks or months with no support. It seems unfair that there’s no support that people with these disabilities can do.
The general requirement for Social Security Disability is that disability or injury must be long-term, debilitating, and lasting for at least twelve months. But most people with ongoing conditions will experience flare-ups that may make them unable to work for months.
However, there are options where you can argue that your employability is at risk because of your disability or condition. Essentially you’re arguing that your disability does not stop you from working, but it does prevent you from holding a job because you’re constantly taking time off work for treatments.
What Ongoing Conditions Can Qualify for SSDI?
There’s an option for people with ongoing or lifelong conditions where they can undergo continuing eligibility reviews. These reviews allow people to go under an observation and consideration period every 12 or 18 months or even every few years. These serve to help explore the medical team’s intent on improving the condition and the ability to remain employed or working for longer periods of time.
There are no outright conditions that guarantee anyone will receive SSDI. In the best event, you’ll be able to show that your disability is permanent and won’t improve with further medical care. There’s much more to that though than a simple, total permanent disability claim.
The most commonly experienced conditions which usually qualify for SSDI include senses loss such as hearing loss and vision loss. But in that situation, the goal is to get the patient through vocational rehabilitation so they can reenter the workforce. But even in those conditions, it’s not always clear-cut. The expectation with the Social Security Disability Office is that these conditions are expected to last for more than 12 months and that they would affect employability for at least 12 months.
For example, if a person was injured and experienced partial vision loss because they were welding without a shield or mask, they would need to show that the vision loss was permanent or would last for more than 12 months. Although it may put them out of work, the entire process centers around if they could return to work.
Which Conditions Are You Expected to Work Through?
Many patients are told that they’re expected to work while undergoing treatment, rehabilitation, and managing their family with these changes. The Social Security Administration helps many people see if they qualify, but often any of these conditions will result in a denial and struggle of an appeals process.
People with thyroid disorders, obesity, Crohn’s disease, Hepatitis, HIV, blood clots, Lupus, and more will all experienced flare-ups or long periods of time where working is irregular, difficult, or impossible. Anything from cardiovascular conditions to mental disorders falls on the list of complications that could lead to SSDI, but there are no guarantees.
Typically people with ongoing conditions will have to put up a fight. Submitting paperwork and medical proof of the effects of your condition will often be much more complex and difficult.
When Applying for SSDI, Should You Get a Wisconsin SSDI Attorney?
The answer here is almost always “yes,” because of the extensive medical care needed and the time that you’ll spend away from work. When applying for SSDI because of an ongoing condition such as MS, cancer, HIV, or even COPD, it’s impossible to know how much you’ll be able to work over the next year. But that’s the entire basis of the application and SSDI determination.
Choose to support yourself in this difficult time by bringing in a professional with experience in handling the state department on SSDI applications, determinations, and hearings. With Tabak Law, you can have an ally and resource to battle for the support that you need, which you’ve been paying into for some time. Contact our social security disability benefits law office now to discover what you can do.