Disability Benefits for Heart Attack

Receiving Disability Benefits for Heart Attack

Disability benefits for heart attack sufferers are available, but you’ll need to meet strict requirements and simply having a heart attack won’t automatically qualify you for benefits.

You must:

• Meet work credit requirements
• Suffer from a condition severe enough to stop you from gainful employment for 12 or more months

Social Security does not pay for partial disability or short-term disability—only total disability. SSA determines whether you are disabled by asking the following five questions:

• Are you currently working? If you are working, and you are consistently making more than $1,310 per month, you will probably not be considered disabled.
• Does your disability prevent you from performing basic work-related activities (walking, standing, sitting, remembering)? In short, is your condition considered “severe?”
• Does your disabling medical condition meet or equal the severity of a listing found in the Blue Book list of medical conditions?
• Are you able to do the work you did prior to your disability?
• Can you make an adjustment to do any other type of work?

At Carmichael Law Group, we have experience helping heart attack victims through all stages of the Social Security disability application process, from the initial filing through appeals.

If you or a loved one suffered a heart attack and can no longer work, we can help you seek the benefits you deserve.

Call or contact us to schedule a free consultation with an experienced attorney.

What Is a Heart Attack?

When the flow of blood to the heart is blocked—usually due to a buildup of fat, cholesterol, and other substances which form a plaque—a heart attack can occur. In some instances, the plaque can rupture, forming a clot that blocks blood flow and subsequently damaging or destroying a part of the heart muscle. Heart attacks are also known as myocardial infarctions and can potentially be fatal. Treatment for heart attacks has improved significantly over the years, and when you get treatment as quickly as possible, the outcome of your heart attack greatly improves. The most common symptoms of a heart attack include:

• Abdominal pain
• Heartburn
• Pressure, tightness, pain, squeezing, or aching sensation in your chest that can spread to the arms, neck, jaw, or back
• Cold sweats
• Unusual fatigue
• Sudden dizziness
• Shortness of breath

Symptoms of a heart attack vary significantly from one person to the next, and between men and women. The earliest warning of a heart attack could be recurrent pressure or chest pain that appears to be triggered by activity and relieved by rest. This is known as angina and is caused by a temporary blood flow decrease to the heart. According to the American Heart Association, as many as 16.5 million Americans are currently living with coronary heart disease. Heart disease and stroke remain the leading global cause of death. 

Can A Heart Attack Alone Qualify Me For Social Security Disability Benefits?

Annually, 805,000+ people in the United States have heart attacks, and not all of these sufferers will qualify for disability benefits. Under the SSA’s Blue Book Listing of Impairment’s Cardiovascular System section, you’ll find requirements for:

• Acute events, such as a heart attack.
• Exercise tests and how the evaluation process works.
• Other evaluation methods.

The SSA has strict eligibility rules for SSD approval, and you must suffer from a disability severe enough that it will prevent you from working for at least 12 months. For this reason, you’re not likely to be approved based on having a heart attack alone.

You will need evidence highlighting the severity of your condition and its impact on your ability to work.

A heart attack in and of itself is not considered a disabling condition by the Social Security Administration, however, the complications that can result from a heart attack could qualify you for disability benefits. Since the most common cause of a heart attack is coronary artery disease (clogged arteries), you could qualify for benefits under the listing for Ischemic Heart Disease. To qualify under Ischemic Heart Disease, your records must show the following:

• You have severe fatigue with exertion or exercise intolerance
• You suffer from narrowing of or blockage in the arteries OR

You have had at least three episodes within a 12-month period when a narrowing of the arteries required angioplasty, a stint, or other surgical interventions. 

If your heart attack results in severe damage to the heart muscle, then you could potentially qualify for disability benefits under the Chronic Heart Failure section. To qualify under Chronic Heart Failure, your medical records must contain evidence of heart dysfunction in one or more chambers. Your heart failure must limit your ability to accomplish everyday tasks due to severe fatigue, fluid collection in your lungs, or inadequate amounts of oxygen to your brain. If your heart failure is so severe that you will require a heart transplant, you qualify for SS disability benefits while you wait for the transplant and for at least one year following the transplant. 

What Symptoms or Conditions Following A Heart Attack Might Make Me Eligible for Disability Benefits?

Disability benefits for heart attack patients are based on a cardiovascular disability. You might not meet the requirements initially but as your condition worsens, you may meet the definition of being disabled.

Symptoms and conditions that may help you meet eligibility requirements are:

• Being diagnosed with a related condition in the SSA’s Blue Book, such as heart disease, recurrent arrhythmias, chronic venous insufficiency or chronic heart failure.
• Having a 50-70% narrowing of a major coronary vessel that cannot be bypassed.
• Severe intolerance to exercise, including experiencing extreme fatigue after minimal exertion.
• Pain, fatigue and other symptoms that affect your ability to work.
• Functional limitations, such as lifting, bending or walking.

For example, during the exercise tests, you may be asked to walk on a treadmill. If it’s found that you have a major intolerance to exercise and reach a high level of fatigue with minimal exercise, this will strengthen your chance of approval.

If you suffered from multiple heart attacks in the past 12-month period, you may qualify for disability.

Providing Proof for a Heart Attack and Disability Benefits

Even when a condition is listed in the SSA’s Blue Book Listing of Impairment, applicants must still prove that the condition is severe enough to prevent them from working.

Documentation and medical evidence can help support your claim, including:

• Medical tests and exams: Electrocardiograms (ECG), exercise tolerance tests (ETT), doppler tests, drug-induced stress tests, physical exams, lab studies or other relevant tests. These tests can help the SSA understand how much activity your heart can withstand and the severity of your condition.
• Medical treatment: Medications, procedures, or other treatments that were considered and rejected. Be sure to include information on whether these treatments were effective and the side effects you experienced while taking them.
• Evidence of work impairment: Statements from your co-workers or employers about how your condition affects your ability to work. Opinion evidence from your cardiologist can also help support your claim.

It’s important to remember that the SSA wants evidence that your condition is severe enough to:

• Impact your ability to work
• Prevent you from returning to your current line of work
• Prevent you from finding work elsewhere

You’ll need to supply extensive evidence, which can be a time-consuming and complicated process. An experienced disability lawyer can walk you through the process, assist with gathering evidence and ensure your application is complete before submitting it to the SSA.

Why Work With Attorney Brian Carmichael?

It can be challenging to get disability benefits for heart attack sufferers. Although heart disease is listed in the SSA’s Blue Book, heart attacks, specifically, are not. However, with the right medical evidence and documentation, you can greatly improve your odds of approval.

Working with an experienced attorney can make all the difference in the outcome of your claim.

Attorney Brian Carmichael helps clients across the nation secure the SSD benefits they need and deserve. His reputation for getting results has helped Carmichael Law Group, LLC gain 400+ Google reviews from satisfied clients.

If you have suffered a heart attack and can no longer work, you don’t have to go through the SSD application process alone.

Contact us today to schedule a free consultation and discuss your options.