Can I Receive SSDI as a Result of Diabetes?
Diabetes can be a manageable condition, but after decades of experiencing increasingly severe symptoms of this serious disease, some individuals simply cannot carry out their regular job duties any longer. If you are a diabetes patient and are facing increasing difficulty in performing your job, learn more below about applying for Social Security Disability benefits as a diabetic.
In the past, Diabetes Mellitus was listed in the Social Security Administration’s so-called “Blue Book” of disorders that automatically qualified an applicant as disabled without requiring additional support. However, treatments for diabetes have come a long way in recent years, such that many diabetes patients can live what are essentially normal lives. Diabetes was removed from the Blue Book in 2011, along with other endocrine disorders. Now, applicants for disability benefits will have to include more specific evidence of why their diabetes-related symptoms pose a substantial impairment to their ability to work.
The Social Security Administration has published an advisory ruling for use by Administrative Law Judges evaluating benefit claims made on behalf of diabetes patients, titled SSR 14-2p. The ruling explains the effects of diabetes on patients’ abilities to carry out simple daily tasks, and the ways in which diabetes can itself amplify the negative effects of other conditions. For example, many diabetics experience loss of feeling or sensation in their hands and feet due to circulation problems. This sort of pain would make work in an assembly plant very difficult where the worker needed to stand all day and work with their hands; the job would be even more challenging when considering that fatigue and hypoglycemia are two other common effects of diabetes. The ruling goes on to explain that many diabetics experience problems walking, manipulating objects and operating foot pedals, and frequently develop problems with their vision, difficulty focusing on a task, and mood disorders. An experienced SSDI benefits attorney can use these guidelines to help strengthen your application for disability benefits, helping you get the financial support you need after you’re no longer able to work.
If you are in need of legal help with a disability claim in Alabama, contact the experienced and knowledgeable Montgomery Social Security Disability attorneys at the Dansby Law Firm for a consultation, at 334-834-7001.
