Does Osteoarthritis Show Up In Blood Work
There is no blood test for the diagnosis of osteoarthritis. Blood tests are performed to exclude diseases that can cause secondary osteoarthritis, as well as to exclude other arthritis conditions that can mimic osteoarthritis. X-rays of the affected joints are the main way osteoarthritis is identified…. see details
Other Ways Your Arthritis Can Qualify As A Disability
If you do not qualify for benefits from the impairment listings for back problems, you may be eligible under a broader classification of a major dysfunction of a joint. To succeed with this category, you must have an obvious joint distortion. Such a distortion would be visible by using medical imaging techniques, such as an MRI. Examples of such impairments are the joint being fused or a compression of the space in a joint has occurred. Coupled with this would be a history of the loss of a range of motion, along with stiffness and pain in the joint.
A further requirement is the dysfunction must be occurring on both arms. It must exist in at least one hand, a wrist, an elbow, or a shoulder in each arm. Because of this stringent requirement, you must have a great difficulty in performing daily tasks such as preparing meals, performing daily hygiene, or completing simple house cleaning jobs without another persons assistance.
A second option would be if your dysfunction existed in an ankle, a knee, or a hip causing much difficulty in walking. Illustrations would be if you were unable to climb a set of stairs at a reasonable speed even using a handrail if you were required to use a walker, two canes, or two crutches or needed another persons help in the workplace, around the home, , or in activities such as shopping for groceries.
Get On The Same Page As Your Rheumatologist
The story your doctor is telling to the SSA about your symptoms and difficulties should be the same as the story you tell because that builds credibility, Stein says. If youre considering applying for benefits or suspect you may need to in the future, ask your rheumatologist to start writing down the things you can no longer do in his records.
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Get The Medical Care You Need
We encourage our clients to maintain consistent and ongoing medical care for two reasons. First, it can help you recover or regain functionand our goal is always for people to live the fullest and healthiest lives possible. Also, if you delay care, you may experience unwanted medical setbacks and complications.
Second, its not easy to convince an insurance adjuster or judge that youre disabled due to hand pain and arthritis. Youll need strong evidence that supports your claims and documents the severity of your conditionand medical records are essential. Depending on your diagnosis and circumstances, your evidence might include:
- MRI and CT scans
- EMGs and nerve conduction studies
- Blood and other diagnostic tests
- Operative reports
- Doctors notes and physical therapy records
When these documents support your disability insurance claim, youll have a better chance of getting the benefits you deserve.
How The Ssa Determines Disability With Arthritis
In the case of arthritis, you must receive medical treatment for at least three months before the SSA will make a determination regarding the extent and severity of your condition and whether or not it qualifies you for Social Security Disability benefits.
No matter where you develop arthritis, whether in your hands, feet, knees or back, if you have medical evidence to support your claim, you may be eligible for disability benefits. You will also need to meet financial requirements to qualify for disability benefits.
Follow the steps below to find out if you qualify for Social Security disability benefits due to your arthritis.
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What Types Of Knee Problems Might Qualify For A Disability Award
The knee is a major weight-bearing joint, meaning that it carries the majority of the weight on your body. With many muscles and ligaments, the knee is a rather complicated joint. Because the knee is weight-bearing joint, obesity has a significant adverse impact on the knees.
A wide range of conditions can cause knee pain. Many knee injuries happen as a result of accidents, such as those sustained in sports or falls. Other knee conditions are more chronic and are caused by diseases such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, or gout. Some individuals who have experienced trauma, such as a car accident, can suffer from post-traumatic arthritis.
To be considered for a disability award, your condition must last or be expected to continue for at least one year. As a general rule, this is not the case for knee conditions. Most knee conditions are easily managed through surgery, physical therapy, or pain medication. In fact, knee replacement surgery is one of the most successful operations available. 9 out of 10 individuals report immediate relief from pain after having a knee replacement.
However, there are some instances where a knee condition is chronic and debilitating. For example, those who have rheumatoid arthritis can often expect knee pain to continue, as well as have other difficulties from this systemic disease.
Va Disability Ratings For Knee Pain
Once your knee condition is service connected, VA will assign a disability rating ranging between 0 and 100 percent. More serious and disabling knee injuries are assigned higher ratings.
Overall, VA ratings for knee pain depend on various factors, such as:
- The type of knee injury
- The severity of the diagnosed knee condition
- The knees range of motion
- The pain it causes
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The Residual Functional Capacity Test
The Residual Functional Capacity test offers another way to get benefits if you do not meet the requirements for a Blue Book listing. This test, as its name indicates, measures your residual functional capacity, which is a fancy way of describing the amount of functionality you still have in spite of your condition.
Functionality refers to your ability to carry out work duties as well as daily living activities, such as:
The RFC test, then, lets the SSA know what kinds of activities you can and cannot perform. The SSA uses these results to decide whether it believes you are capable of working or not.
To have an RFC test completed, you must visit either your own doctor or one appointed by the SSA. The doctor will perform a physical exam, run tests, ask you questions, and do whatever else they deem necessary to obtain an objective measurement of your functional capacity. Once the test is complete, we submit the results to the SSA, along with any supporting evidencefor example, lab test results, or a personal statement from your physician.
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At What Point Does The Government Consider Someone With Rheumatoid Arthritis To Be Disabled
While moderate and even mild RA can make certain tasks and activities more challenging, your symptoms have to be quite severe to qualify for disability benefits. They must significantly limit your ability to do basic work such as lifting, standing, walking, and remembering. And they have to be so serious that you cant perform not just your job but also any job.
This is something that commonly confuses people, says Mike Stein, assistant vice president of Operations, Strategy & Planning at Allsup, a disability representation company. If you still have the ability to do a very simple job, Social Security will likely deny your claim.
Note: If youve paid into long-term disability benefits at your workplace and choose to go that route instead, you only have to prove you cant do your current job because of your RA symptoms. That said, the eligibility requirements for using long-term disability can be tough too, and youll have to provide the same types of evidence that the Social Security administration would expect.
To establish that your RA or any type of arthritis is so severe that you cant work at all, the SSA will rely on evidence provided by both you and your doctor. For your part, youll need to share your work history, describe your disability, where and when youve received treatment, and so on.
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Residual Functional Capacity Analysis
The SSA also looks at how your arthritis is preventing you from carrying out daily activities that would be required in a work environment. Actions such as your ability to stand and walk for long periods, lift heavy objects, bend, or kneel are assessed by the SSA from your medical records and RFC form. Read more in our story How to File for Residual Functional Capacity.
A Disability Insurance Attorney Can Help
An experienced New York long term disability insurance lawyer can make all the difference in getting your disability benefits. You can choose to file your application or appeal on your own, but your odds of success are significantly greater when you have a knowledgeable long term disability insurance lawyer on your side. The forms provided by the insurance company are inadequate, and deliberately so. They do not have nearly enough room for you or your doctors to describe your situation completely. If you limit yourself to these pre-printed forms, the insurance company will deny your claim based on a lack of evidence.
Riemer Hess can restore some balance to the process by helping you and your doctors tell your whole story. We know what evidence the insurance company will look for how to efficiently gather that evidence and how to package that evidence in a way that will resonate with the insurance company.
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Can I Get Ssdi Disability For Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis is an auto-immune disorder that affects millions of Americans
Will Social Security approve my disability claim based on rheumatoid arthritis?
How Does SSA Determine If My Rheumatoid Arthritis Is Disabling?
Step 1: Non-Medical CriteriaStep 2: Severe ImpairmentStep 3: Medical ListingsStep 4: Past WorkStep 5: Other Work
Wondering If You Qualify?
Find out if you qualify for Social Security Disability benefits in just seconds with our free evaluation.
When Your Condition Is Fully Stabilised
To check if your condition is fully stabilised, well look at your medical evidence. Well assess whether your ability to work will get better or stay the same with more treatment or rehabilitation. We consider the next 2 years from when you claim.
You wont get DSP if we assess that your condition is not fully diagnosed, treated and stabilised.
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Is My Arthritis Serious Enough To Be A Disability
Arthritis can be a disability– but whether or not your condition qualifies for long term disability benefits will depend on a number of factors. Mostly importantly, you will have to show how your arthritis prevents you from working.
Arthritis is a broader term covering a scope of different diseases and conditions, all affecting the joints. Typically arthritis is characterized by painful inflammation and stiffness of the joints that in turn causes a decreased range of motion.
The severity of these disabling symptoms ranges from mild to severe, and can either affect an isolated area or the entire body. Arthritis is generally considered a chronic condition. However, the frequency of flare-ups, the rate of progression, and the severity of the pain depend on the individual.
Bryant Legal Group: Chicagos Disability Insurance Lawyers
Bryant Legal Group is one of Chicagos foremost disability insurance law firms. We focus on complex disability insurance claims and guide our clients through their applications for benefits and appeals. If you have questions about how hand pain or arthritis impacts your disability insurance claim, contact our office today. Well help you understand your legal options and treat you with the respect you deserve.
To schedule an appointment, either complete our online form or call us at 561-3010.
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What Qualifies As A Hand Disability
To qualify for disability benefits for lost hand function, you will need to show that your condition is so severe that it does not allow you to perform gross or fine movements needed for your job. This would include your ability to: Reach and extend your arms and hands in either direction…. see more
Specific Requirements For Osteoarthritis
Generally, with regard to musculoskeletal conditions, Social Security states, âRegardless of the cause of a musculoskeletal impairment, functional loss for purposes of these listings is defined as the inability to ambulate effectively on a sustained basis for any reason, including pain associated with the underlying musculoskeletal impairment, or the inability to perform fine and gross movements effectively on a sustained basis for any reason, including pain associated with the underlying musculoskeletal impairment.â
People with degenerative osteoarthritis qualify if they have significant limitations while using hands or arms, or while standing or walking. People with back or neck osteoarthritis must have persistent sensory, reflex, and motor loss as well.
For more information about qualifying for disability benefits for osteoarthritis, consult a support group for patients and see if they have any professional resources available to you or members whoâve successfully completed the disability process.
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Is Arthritis A Disability
There are many conditions that qualify for disability benefits. Arthritis can be considered disability by the SSA. If you suffer from arthritis that is so severe you are going to be unable to work for at least 12 months and you meet the work requirements as well, the SSA will deem you disabled and you will be able to earn disability benefits.
There are listings in the Blue Book that apply to arthritis, and if your condition meets those criteria, then your claim would be approved.
Any of these forms of arthritis can limit your ability to perform routine daily tasks as well as work and earn a living. The SSA looks at the different kinds of arthritis differently.
There are some ways your disability claim for arthritis can be automatically approved. One of those is if you have joint dysfunction, such as a misalignment, shortening of the joint, or chronic pain or stiffness.
Another way would be if you had proof that you had undergone surgery on a weight-bearing joint, such as a knee or a hip and you will be unable to walk effectively for at least a year.
Another way to have a claim approved is if you have arthritis of the spine and the same is true if you have inflammatory arthritis.
You must have medical evidence to support your claim and to confirm that your arthritis is severe enough to keep you from working.
Qualifying With The Blue Book
Every SSDI application is reviewed during the Disability Determination Process, or DDS. During this process, a reviewer will look over your case and see if it fulfills the requirements for benefits laid out in the Social Security Blue Book. The Blue Book, which can be viewed online, contains a list of disabilities that qualify for Social Security.
For example: if you are looking to see if your inflammatory arthritis qualifies for benefits, you would see section 14.00 – Immune System Disorders. Under this section is outlined four different qualifications for inflammatory arthritis to receive benefits. Either
- There is persistent inflammation or deformity of your major joints,
- There is inflammation or deformity of your joints along with organ systems,
- There is an inflammation or deformity of the spine and/or its surrounding organs, or
- There are repeated manifestations of inflammatory arthritis which limit your movement, social functioning, and daily life.
Overall, the Social Security Administration is more likely to qualify you for benefits the more severe your impairment is. If your arthritis is consistent, untreatable, severely debilitating, and/or prevents you from earning a living for more than one year, then the chances you will receive benefits are high.If you do not meet the standards outlined in the Blue Book there may still be another way to qualify.
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Social Security Disability Benefits And Arthritis
Arthritis is one of the leading causes of disability. How does a person suffering from arthritis qualify for Social Security disability benefits? According to Jim Allsup, the Social Security Administration uses a process called sequential evaluation to determine who will receive disability benefits. Mr. Allsup is president and CEO of Allsup Inc. Since 1984, Allsup claims his company has:
- Successfully helped over 300,000 people nationwide receive their entitled disability benefits.
- Achieved a 90% award rate.
Patients who have been helped by Allsup often suffer from rheumatic conditions and musculoskeletal diseases such as:
What If My Arthritis Doesn’t Meet Any Of The Listings
You can still be approved for disability even if your arthritis doesn’t meet an official SSA impairment listing, though it will be more difficult. If the SSA decides that your arthritis doesn’t meet a listing, the agency must decide whether you’re able to do your past work, or any other work, despite the symptoms of your arthritis.
The SSA will consider your age, education, past work experience, and impact of your arthritis symptoms in deciding whether you can be expected to work. For this reason, it’s easier for older and less educated applicants to win a claim for disability.
To inform the SSA about how your arthritis impacts your life and your ability to work, you should ask your doctor to fill out a Residual Functional Capacity form. An RFC will discuss how your ability to perform work-related activities like sitting, standing, walking, pushing, pulling, feeling, and lifting is limited as a result of your arthritis. For example, if your arthritis has caused malformation, swelling, and pain in your fingers and wrists, your RFC should explain that you are unable to type, use a pen, or perform other work that requires the use of your hands and fingers. This limitation alone would prevent you from doing most work.
If the SSA determines that, in light of these restrictions from your arthritis, there is no work you can perform, your claim will be approved.
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