Disability Benefits for Rheumatoid Arthritis and Osteoarthritis
Receiving Disability Benefits for Rheumatoid Arthritis and Osteoarthritis
If you have a physical impairment that limits your ability to perform your daily tasks and work to earn a living, you may qualify for Social Security disability benefits. Rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis and disability benefits are certainly possible if the condition prevents you from working. The SSA has strict medical requirements for physical and mental impairments along with work history requirements and resources and income requirements.
The SSA uses an impairment listing guide to help determine whether you will qualify for disability benefits. Obtaining these benefits may not be as straightforward or simple as you imagine. It can be extremely helpful to speak to a knowledgeable Social Security disability attorney from Carmichael Law Group, LLC. Our firm focuses exclusively on SSDI. Since SSDI is a nationwide program, we can help you no matter where you live. Let us use our experience, knowledge, and skills to help you during this difficult time.
Who is Eligible for RA Disability Benefits?
Rheumatoid arthritis disability benefits are available if you meet the medical and functional criteria outlined by the Social Security Administration (SSA). Inflammatory arthritis is evaluated under Immune System Disorders and encompasses rheumatoid arthritis.
If you have mild symptoms, special accommodations at work may be provided and allow you to continue working.
Over time, however, your joints may begin to worsen or even become deformed, leading to the inability to complete your work-related tasks. The severity of your condition must prevent you from working for at least 12 months to qualify for SSD.
Eligibility will depend on additional factors:
- How the condition impairs your function
- Your ability to work your job or any readily available job
If you’re diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, it is a qualifying disability. You must meet the work credit requirements for disability to be approved, but you’ll also need to show how your condition limits you.
Your physician can diagnose your condition and its severity to help with your application.
Symptoms that accompany your condition may also make you eligible for RA disability benefits. For example, RA is known to cause fatigue, and if you have severe fatigue, you may be eligible for benefits because the fatigue is such that you cannot complete normal work duties.
Applying for Social Security Disability Benefits For Rheumatoid Arthritis
RA progresses over time, and you may be able to continue working for several years before progression prevents you from being able to work. Social Security Disability benefits for rheumatoid arthritis will require significant documentation:
- Confirmed diagnosis
- Doctor’s notes outlining your condition’s severity
- X-rays or MRIs confirming your condition
- Blood work
If the condition has progressed over time, medical evidence of this progression will strengthen the chances of your application being approved. Physical or occupational therapist assessments on how your condition limits you and its effects are also good additions.
Applicants will need to meet work requirements and, depending on their age, show that they cannot work in another field or position.
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Providing Proof for Rheumatoid Arthritis or Osteoarthritis and Disability Benefits
If you are filing for disability based on your rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis, you will need a complete medical history documenting the disorder. To prove rheumatoid arthritis, you must have evidence of the following:
- Fevers
- Involuntary weight loss
- Severe fatigue
- Cardiac or pulmonary disorders related to your RA diagnosis
- Pain or deformity in upper arm joints that make performing fine motor skills difficult
- Mobility challenges necessitating a walker, crutches, cane, wheelchair, or other assistive devices
- Pain or deformity in the knee, hip, or other weight-bearing joint
- Related problems with other body systems
Tests that can help confirm a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis include blood antibody tests, inflammation blood tests, and imaging tests.
To prove osteoarthritis, you must meet certain criteria such as anatomical deformity of the joints or loss of range of motion and pain. Relevant medical documentation to confirm your diagnosis of osteoarthritis can include—but is not limited to—the following:
- An explanation from you and your physician regarding how your osteoarthritis affects you—i.e., how the osteoarthritis in your hands affects your fine motor skills like writing
- The pain you experience on a daily basis that is related to movement, and to your osteoarthritis
- A list of the medications you take to provide pain relief along with side effects from those medications
- Whether you are in physical or occupational therapy, and, if so, how often it is required
- Whether you have specific difficulties preparing meals, feeding yourself, showering, getting dressed, or other daily activities
- Any CT scans, X-rays, or other imaging results that will confirm the severity of your osteoarthritis
If your osteoarthritis fails to meet impairment listing criteria under Musculoskeletal, you may still qualify for SSD benefits by having the SSA look at your residual functional capacity (RFC). An RFC assessment is used to determine what type of work you can perform despite your limitations from osteoarthritis.
While meeting the impairment listing guidelines is important, it is equally important that the “storytelling” of your impairment clearly shows the impact the impairment has had on your life and on your ability to work.
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?
What Happens if My Claim is Denied?
Rheumatoid arthritis disability benefits may be denied, but you will have the opportunity to appeal the decision following a four-step process:
- File a request for reconsideration.
- Attend a hearing with a judge if your request is not approved.
- Appeal to the Social Security Appeals Council if the judge does not approve your case.
- File with the state’s federal district court.
Your approval odds increase if you fill out your application properly and follow the recommendations below.
