Experienced Arthritis Disability Attorneys Fighting for Your Benefits
Arthritis affects the lives of more people than you might realize. According to the federal government, 54 million people, about 25% of the United States adult population, report receiving an arthritis diagnosis.
A variety of treatment options, including medication and physical therapy, work to reduce the pain and inflammation of arthritis to keep it from interfering with your daily activities, including working. However, should the pain, stiffness, and other symptoms of arthritis become severe enough to make it impossible for you to perform work activities, Social Security for arthritis replaces lost earnings.
The arthritis disability claims process is not easy. Only about one-third of initial applications result in an approval of benefits, but don’t let that deter you from getting the benefits you need. The arthritis disability attorneys at GCC Law have the experience and skills to fight for you, starting with the initial application through the appeal process.
Understanding Arthritis Disability: Its Symptoms, Diagnosis, And Treatment
Arthritis affects joints throughout the body by causing pain, stiffness, and swelling. It most commonly occurs in the hands, wrists, hips, feet, and ankles, but people may also experience it in their shoulders and lower back.
Many types of arthritis exist, but the most common ones include:
- Osteoarthritis: The most common type of arthritis found in joints throughout the body. Causes generally include injury and overuse.
- Rheumatoid Arthritis: Caused by an autoimmune disease where the body’s defenses against disease and infection turn against healthy tissue and organs to cause inflammation.
- Gout: A form of arthritis caused by a buildup of uric acid crystals in toes and other small joints of the body.
- Ankylosing Spondylitis: Inflammation of joints of the spine that could cause sections of bone to fuse together.
- Chronic joint pain.
- Redness and warmth in affected joints.
- Joint stiffness and swelling.
- Impaired ability to move affected joints.
If you have symptoms of arthritis, you need to be seen by a healthcare provider to rule out other medical conditions with similar symptoms to arrive at an accurate diagnosis. After taking your medical history and conducting a physical examination, doctors may order diagnostic testing, including blood tests and diagnostic imaging, to aid in arriving at a diagnosis.
Although a cure for arthritis has not been developed, your healthcare provider may recommend different treatment options to lessen the severity of the symptoms. Standard treatments, such as medications to ease the pain and inflammation, may be prescribed for you. Nonmedication treatment options include immobilization of affected joints, massage, physical therapy, and acupuncture.
Many people report having good results managing their symptoms and engaging in normal day-to-day activities by following treatment plans recommended by their doctors. Others are not as fortunate and experience a worsening of the severity of symptoms to the point where they no longer have the ability to work.
Social Security Disability Benefit Programs When You Cannot Work Because Of Arthritis
The Social Security Administration disability benefit programs, Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs do not pay benefits for short-term or partial disabilities. Instead, you must have medical evidence of one or more physical or mental impairments expected to last for at least or to result in death, and you must be unable to do substantial and gainful work activities because of your condition.
The SSDI program is for people who worked long enough at jobs or self-employment and paid Social Security taxes on their earnings or income. Some of the work history must have been performed recently enough before the date of disability to satisfy the requirements for SSDI eligibility.
As a needs-based program, SSI does not require a work history for qualifying for arthritis disability benefits, but you cannot have more than a limited income, and your resources cannot exceed $2,000 for an individual and $3,000 for couples. The two programs share similar application and disability determination processes.
Social Security Disability Benefit Programs When You Cannot Work Because Of Arthritis
The Social Security Administration disability benefit programs, Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs do not pay benefits for short-term or partial disabilities. Instead, you must have medical evidence of one or more physical or mental impairments expected to last for at least one year or to result in death, and you must be unable to do substantial and gainful work activities because of your condition.
The SSDI program is for people who worked long enough at jobs or self-employment and paid Social Security taxes on their earnings or income. Some of the work history must have been performed recently enough before the date of disability to satisfy the requirements for SSDI eligibility.
As a needs-based program, SSI does not require a work history for qualifying for arthritis disability benefits, but you cannot have more than a limited income, and your resources cannot exceed $2,000 for an individual and $3,000 for couples. The two programs share similar application and disability determination processes.
Understanding The Requirements For Qualifying For Arthritis Disability Through SSDI And SSI
You must have medical documentation of an arthritis diagnosis, treatment prescribed by your healthcare provider, and that your condition is severe enough to prevent you from working. The application review process uses a listing of impairments considered severe enough to meet the standard used by the Social Security Administration in deciding whether you are disabled.
Your symptoms could qualify for arthritis and disability benefits under Listing 14.09, Inflammatory Arthritis, provided you meet all the listing criteria. For example, one of the requirements is requiring a walker or other device for assistance or, as an alternative, being unable to use an upper extremity to complete work activities.
Meeting the criteria of a listed impairment can be difficult, and many applicants fail to qualify for disability benefits based on the listing of impairments. Fortunately, the arthritis disability claims process also uses your residual functional capacity (RFC) as a guide to determine if you cannot work.
An RFC assessment evaluates the work activities you have the capacity to do with the limitations caused by the arthritis condition documented in your medical records. If you cannot do the work you did in the past five years, or transition to doing another type of available work, you may be approved for SSDI or SSI.
A Denial Of An Arthritis Disability Claim Seems Like The End, But It’s Just The Beginning
Most claims for disability benefits do not get approved during the initial review process, but the fight has just begun. The appeal process gives you the chance to challenge a denial and do as many other claimants have done, turn it into an approval of benefits from Social Security for arthritis disability.
Learn How Skilled Disability Attorneys Fight For Your Arthritis Disability Benefits Through SSDI And SSI
The arthritis disability attorneys at GCC Law recognize your struggle when disabling arthritis prevents you from working and earning a living. We fight for you from the application through all levels of the appeal process to get the benefits needed to make your life easier. Contact GCC Law for a complimentary consultation.
Medical Conditions Listed for Disability Benefits:
Call Our Illinois arthritis Disability Lawyers Today
At GCC Law Firm, our Illinois arthritis disability attorneys provide personalized, solutions-driven legal advocacy for clients. If your SSDI or SSI claim has been denied in Illinois, we can help. Contact us to schedule a free and completely confidential initial consultation, please contact our law firm today.
Call (479) 340-0002.