Arthritis & Joint Damage Disability Benefits

Can I Get Social Security Disability Benefits for Arthritis or Joint Damage?

Arthritis or joint damage can be a very painful condition. This condition may be covered by Social Security disability benefits, but you must meet certain criteria set by the Social Security Administration. If your condition hinders your ability to work, you should take a look at the following requirements to see if you qualify to receive benefits for an arthritis disability or a joint damage disability.

What conditions need to be met to qualify for disability benefits for arthritis?

1). You earnings need to average less than $1,170 per month for the year.

If you’re currently working and have been able to average earnings of $1,170 per month, you probably won’t be considered. Your application will be sent on if you’re not working. It will be sent to the Disability Determinations Services office. Then, your condition will be evaluated.

2). Your condition needs to be considered severe.

In order for your condition to be considered severe, it needs to interfere with your basic work-related activities. If this isn’t the case and you are able to work. you will not receive benefits.

3). Your medical condition needs to be in the list of disabling conditions.

Inflammatory arthritis is listed within the list of medical conditions. If you have this diagnosis, it is already considered so severe that it automatically means that you’re disabled. If you don’t have this specific diagnosis, it will be up to you to prove that it is equally as severe as this condition.

Your inflammatory arthritis must affect you in a certain way. These ways are listed in detail on the ssa.gov website. There you can check and see if your condition meets one of those instances. You may wish to consult with your doctor about the specifics of your condition to verify that it meets one of the instances listed.

4). If your condition changes, you need to report it.

If your condition changes, you must let the SSA know. If you are able to return to work, your benefits will probably end. There are some work incentives that may help you with the transition back to work that includes continued payments as well as healthcare coverage.

5). Just because you can’t continue to work in your current position, doesn’t automatically qualify you for benefits.

You may have to leave your current job because of arthritis or joint damage, but that doesn’t mean that you will qualify for disability benefits. The Social Security Administration may determine that you are able to work in a different capacity. Because of that, your claim may be denied. Even though you consider yourself disabled, the Social Security Administration may not. You need to still prove that you meet their standards.

If you don’t have inflammatory arthritis and need to prove your condition, you need the following:

A). Medical documentation.

In order to prove the severity of your condition, you need to have the medical documentation to back it up. This includes any official diagnosis, tests, hospital visits, medications and letters from your doctor. It’s important to have all of this organized and in order when applying for arthritis disability or joint damage disability. This will be the evidence for your case.

B). A letter describing why your condition makes it difficult to work.

Something else that you will want to include is a letter written by you that describes why this condition makes it difficult for you to work. By describing your day-to-day difficulties, it will help show why you need your disability benefits to be approved.

C). Your medical condition needs to be expected to last a year.

Your condition must be expected to last at least 12 months or longer. This should be documented in your medical documentation that you are submitting. You have to show that this is the case through evidence and diagnosis from your doctor.

D). You may want a lawyer.

It can be very beneficial to hire a lawyer to help you work through the disability application process. This person is an expert on how to move forward and help you organize all of your evidence. This expert will be especially helpful if you have a condition other than inflammatory arthritis or if you need to file an appeal. It can be a daunting process and it is helpful to have someone on your side with the experience to back up your case.

It is possible to get Social Security disability benefits for arthritis or joint damage, but you need to prove your case. Arthritis Social Security disability or joint damage Social Security disability can be achieved with the right evidence and debilitating condition. Contact us if you have any questions.