Can I Get Social Security Disability Benefits for Osteoarthritis in Detroit?
When you perform your job diligently for years, any career can strain your body over time. This may cause damage to your bones and joints—and lead to osteoarthritis.
Having osteoarthritis means you lose cartilage in your joints. This can make it difficult to work, or even move around.
If you’re unable to work due to this condition, you may be able to receive Social Security disability benefits to ease the financial burden you face.
Disability benefits provide monthly checks and eligibility for Medicare health care coverage. But they’re hard to win. Most people get their first applications denied.
An experienced lawyer can guide you successfully through the process.
What would you like to do?
Is Osteoarthritis a Listed Disability?
Under the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) rules, certain defined conditions qualify you for disability benefits.
Osteoarthritis is one of them, listed under 1.00 Musculoskeletal Disorders – Adult in Social Security’s “blue book” of qualifying impairments.
But to qualify for disability benefits with osteoarthritis alone, you have to show the SSA that your condition is so severe you cannot perform basic tasks required for working, like walking or sitting.
Often, people with osteoarthritis qualify for disability benefits under a listing for another, related impairment, such as joint and back conditions.
You also might qualify under a category called “residual functional capacity.”
Residual functional capacity is an assessment by the SSA to see how much work you’re able to do. If they find you’re unable to perform work—regardless of the types of health problems you have—you can have osteoarthritis and qualify for SSD benefits.
In fact, winning Social Security disability benefits always starts with showing you’re unable to work.
You’ll need medical evidence to prove you can’t perform any significant kind of gainful employment
Can You Get Disability for Osteoarthritis Alone?
If you’re seeking disability benefits and you have osteoarthritis, one of your best strategies might be to see what other qualifying disabilities apply to your case.
Under the blue book listing 1.00 Musculoskeletal Disorders, for example, you could receive benefits if you’ve been diagnosed with osteoarthritis and suffer from one of three additional conditions:
- Spinal nerve root compression
- Inflammation of the arachnoid membrane that protects spinal cord nerves
- Spinal canal narrowing and nerve compression
These kinds of conditions come with many technical terms that are difficult for anyone outside the medical and legal professions to understand.
That’s one reason why it’s a good idea to speak with a Social Security disability attorney when seeking benefits.
A legal professional could also help you qualify for benefits under another category of disability: joint dysfunction.
To qualify for Social Security disability benefits for joint dysfunction, you must have a joint deformity in at least one knee, ankle or hip.
You could also qualify if each of your arms suffers from a joint deformity in the shoulder, hand, wrist or elbow. These deformities must make it difficult for you to perform daily tasks.
And, as always, you’ll need medical evidence to back up your claim.
You may also develop osteoarthritis due to kidney failure. The SSA recognizes the dangers of kidney disease, allowing you to receive benefits in this situation.
If you suffer from chronic kidney failure, as identified in listing 6.03 of Social Security’s blue book, that can strengthen your disability claim.
Many types of osteoarthritis medications cannot be taken when you have kidney issues, and that limits how you can treat your symptoms.
When Should I Apply for Osteoarthritis Disability Benefits?
Getting all of your medical paperwork in order is essential when you’re applying for disability benefits with osteoarthritis.
Your doctor should be able to figure out whether you can work or not. But even if your physician thinks your disability might not be serious, don’t give up if you feel unable to work.
Read up on other qualifying conditions related to your osteoarthritis.
In the end, though, you could benefit the most by getting a qualified Social Security disability attorney to help you make a special case for disability benefits with osteoarthritis.
The attorneys at Levine Benjamin Law Firm have helped more than 100,000 people like you win benefits for physical and mental conditions.
From applying to appealing, we help you every step of the way.