What Medical Conditions Qualify For Social Security Disability?

Applying for Social Security Disability (SSD) is an overwhelming experience for most people. First, you need to meet the work requirements and demonstrate that you were employed and paid taxes for at least 20 of the last 40 quarters. That means you must have worked at least five of the last 10 years, although the time you worked doesn’t have to be five consecutive years.

You also need to meet the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) definition of disability benefits. According to the SSA, your disability must be severe enough to prevent you from working in any capacity for at least 12 months or it is expected to cause your death. The SSA maintains an extensive database of qualifying conditions for disability benefits. Before you file a claim for the first time, it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with what conditions qualify for social security disability claims to avoid making errors during the application process.

List Of Approved Medical Impairments

According to the SSA website, it considers 14 high-level categories of impairments that might qualify an applicant for medical disability benefits. Each category contains multiple sub-categories as well. Below is its complete list of qualifying conditions for social security benefits. Each high-level category has a number assigned to it from 1.00 to 14.00. The SSA defines subcategories with numbers such as 1.01 and 2.01. The sub-category ending in .01 provides an SSA definition of that disability.

Conditions That Qualify For Disability Claim In New York

1. Disorders Of The Musculoskeletal System

• Major joint dysfunction
• Reconstructive surgery on a weight-bearing joint
• Spine disorders
• Amputation
• Pelvis, tibia, femur, or tarsal bone fracture
• Upper extremity fracture
• Soft tissue injury

2. Special Senses And Speech

• Central visual acuity loss
• Better eye contains a contradiction in the field of vision
• Visual efficiency loss
• Vestibular-labyrinthine disturbance of function
• Speech loss
• Hearing loss not correctable with a cochlear implant
• Hearing loss treated with a cochlear implant

3. Respiratory Disorders

• Chronic respiratory disease
• Asthma
• Cystic fibrosis
• Chronic pulmonary hypertension attributable to any cause
• Lung transplant
• Respiratory failure

4. Cardiovascular System Disorders

• Chronic heart failure
• Ischemic heart disease
• Recurrent heart arrhythmias
• Congenital and symptomatic heart disease
• Aorta or aneurysm of major branches of the heart
• Chronic venous insufficiency
• Peripheral artery disease

5. Digestive System Disorders

• A gastrointestinal hemorrhage resulting from any cause and requiring a blood transfusion
• Chronic disease of the liver
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Short bowel syndrome
• Significant weight loss caused by any digestive disorder
• Liver transplant

6. Genitourinary System Disorders

• Chronic kidney disease that includes peritoneal dialysis or chronic hemodialysis
• Chronic kidney disease after a kidney transplant
• Nephrotic syndrome
• Complications resulting from chronic kidney disease

7. Hematological Disorders

• Sickle cell anemia, thalassemia, and other variations of hemolytic anemias
• Hemostasis and thrombosis conditions
• Bone marrow failure conditions
• Hematological disorder treated by stem cell transplantation or bone marrow transplant
• Continuous complications of hematological conditions

8. Skin Disorders

• Ichthyosis
• Bullous disease
• Mucous membrane or skin infections, chronic
• Dermatitis
• Hidradenitis Suppurativa
• Photosensitivity disorder, genetic
• Burns

9. Endocrine System Disorders

• Disorder of the pituitary gland
• Disorder of the parathyroid gland
• Disorder of the thyroid gland
• Disorder of the adrenal gland
• Pancreatic gland conditions, including diabetes mellitus

10. Congenital Disorders Affecting Multiple Bodily Systems

• Down syndrome, non-mosaic

11. Disorders Of The Neurological System

• Epilepsy
• Vascular injury to the brain
• Brain tumors, benign
• Parkinsonism syndrome
• Cerebral palsy
• Disorders of the spinal cord
• Multiple sclerosis
• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease)
• Myasthenia gravis
• Muscular dystrophy
• Peripheral neuropathy
• Spinocerebellar degeneration, Friedreich’s ataxia, Huntington’s disease, and other central nervous system conditions
• Traumatic brain injury
• Persistent vegetative state or coma
• Non-ALS motor neuron disease

12. Mental Disorders

• Disorders of neurocognition
• Schizophrenia and other psychotic conditions
• Depression, bipolar disorder, and related conditions
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder and anxiety
• Disorder related to somatic symptoms
• Impulse-control and personality disorder
• Autism spectrum disorder
• Neurodevelopmental conditions
• Eating disorder
• Conditions related to trauma and stress

13. Cancer

• Soft tissue cancers in the neck and head
• Skin cancer
• Soft tissue sarcoma
• Lymphoma
• Leukemia
• Multiple myelomas
• Salivary gland cancer
• Thyroid gland cancer
• Breast cancer
• Cancer of the skeletal system
• Cancer of the orbit, maxilla, or temporal region
• Nervous system cancer
• Lung cancer
• Cancer of the mediastinum or pleura
• Esophageal or stomach cancer
• Small or large intestine cancer
• Gallbladder or liver cancer
• Pancreatic cancer
• Carcinoma of the kidneys, ureters, or adrenal glands
• Carcinoma of the urinary bladder
• Female genital tract cancers
• Prostate gland carcinomas
• Testicular cancer
• Cancer of the penis
• Cancer treated with stem cell transplantation or bone marrow transplant
• Malignant melanoma

14. Immune System Conditions

• Systemic lupus erythematosus
• Systemic vasculitis
• Systemic Scleroderma
• Dermatomyositis and polymyositis
• Mixed and undifferentiated connective tissue disease
• Non-HIV immune deficiency conditions
• Inflammatory arthritis
• Sjogren’s syndrome
• Human immunodeficiency virus

Does Your Medical Condition Have To Be An Exact Match?

Reviewing the above list of what medical conditions that qualify for social security disability benefits can feel disheartening, especially if your disability claim doesn’t fall on the list. However, the SSA doesn’t require applicants for SSD to meet an exact listing if he or she has a condition that is medically equivalent to something listed above.

You may also meet eligibility requirements for disability insurance if your condition limits your functioning to the point that you can no longer work. This is true even if your condition is not in the SSA database but proving your eligibility can be much more challenging. Fortunately, a social security disability attorney from Terry Katz & Associates can assist you in providing qualifying evidence of your disability insurance and making an oral argument on your behalf. We have over 30 years of working with the social security administration.

Providing Medical Evidence For Your Case

The medical evidence that you include with your application for SSD must include documentation from the time you became disabled until the date of your application. It also needs to prove that your disabling condition is severe enough to prevent you from earning more than $1,000 per month from work. Medical evidence that the SSA considers valid include:

• Blood work panels
• CAT scan results
• Mental health records
• MRI results
• Physical examination notes
• Treatment reports or notes

All adult patients in the United States have the right to obtain a copy of their medical records. While each place you received treatment from may have slightly different procedures to obtain medical records, you will likely need to put your request in writing or show photo identification if you make the request in person.

Learn More About Qualifying Medical Conditions

We realize that understanding qualifying conditions for disability insurance is a lot of information for anyone to process. It can be even more challenging when you have a chronic physical or mental condition. Terry Katz & Associates invites you to contact our office near Long Island, New York at (516) 997-0997 to schedule a free consultation with one of the knowledgeable social security disability attorneys at our firm. We will discuss qualifying medical conditions in greater detail and ensure that you understanding if you qualify for disability benefits, and if so, how to apply.