Getting your SSDI benefits with lupus

Lupus is a disease that affects more people every year than diabeties. Why do we not know much about it? Because it is always changing.... No two diagnosis are the same.

One thing you can count on though is support from the Social Security Administration.

When you work with an attorney to file for Social Security and Disability, you are essentially given two preliminary checks. The first check you get is the one compensating you for the amount of time you claims process took (from initial filing all the way up until settlement after hearing). The second check will be the first of your monthly checks. What does this mean? Every month you will receive a check in the mail. The check will be a percentage of what you were earning during your last employment.

Qualifying for benefits with lupus

Lups us one of the few things listed specifically on the Social Security website as acceptable most always. Here are the list requirements for qualifying.

Meeting the Listing Requirements for Lupus

Lupus is one of the diseases specifically listed in Social Security's listing of impairments. To qualify as disabled under this listing, you must meet the following requirements:

• The lupus must affect at least two body systems or organs, such as the kidneys and the lungs, or the heart and the brain, and

• The lupus must cause at least two of the following symptoms.

• frequent exhaustion resulting in low physical or mental activity

• fever

• malaise (feelings of physical discomfort or illness resulting in low physical or mental activity), and/or

• involuntary weight loss.

OR

• Repeated symptoms of lupus, with at least two of the symptoms above resulting in one of the following limitations:

• Limitations of activities of daily living

• Limitation in maintaining social functioning

• Limitation in completing tasks in a timely manner due to lack of focus or ability to work quickly.

• The limitation must seriously interfere with your ability to function independently, appropriately, and effectively.

On top of listing requirements, there is also the medical requirements you must meet.

Medical Evidence Required for Lupus Listing

• Malar rash

• Discoid rash

• Photosensitivity

• Oral ulcers

• Arthiritis

• Sersitis

• Renal Disorder

• Neurologic Disorder

• Hematologic Disorder

• Immunologic Disorder

• Antinuclear Antibody

Inability to Work Due to Lupus

Individuals can also qualify for Social Security Disability for lupus if they can prove that they are unable to work due to the health problems caused by lupus. Social Security uses a residual functional capacity (RFC) assessment to record the physical, mental, and sensory limitations that can affect an individual's ability to work.

An individual with lupus might have the following physical limitations: fatigue, chest pain, shortness of breath, headaches, and abnormal heart rhythms. These limitations can make it difficult to stand or walk for a lengthy period of time, which rules out many jobs.

The mental abilities that Social Security evaluates include the ability to understand, remember, and carry out instructions, and respond well to supervision, co-workers, and work pressures in a work setting. Those with lupus may suffer personality changes, including anxiety and depression, and may have difficulty concentrating or have increased forgetfulness. Social Security will take these limitations into account when deciding if the applicant can do even simple, routine tasks that don't require skill.

The sensory limitations that Social Security evaluates include impairments of the five senses and impairments that impose environmental restrictions. Those with lupus often have vision problems and skin issues, including photosensitivity, and they may suffer seizures. All of these limitations caused by lupus are looked at all together to determine if an individual is able to work.

As lupus is a chronic disease that may cause increasing harm to the body over time, it may happen that you are initially denied benefits, but by the time you appeal and get a hearing with a judge, your limitations have become so great that you now qualify for Social Security Disability benefits. For more information, see our series of articles on how Social Security decides when your limitations are so bad that you deserve disability benefits.

Click here to start the process of filing for Social Security Disability TODAY!