Can Individuals with Hypertension Qualify for SSD?
Hypertension, either on its own or with other health problems, can have a serious negative impact on your quality of life. The heart is only meant to work so hard to supply blood to every part of your body, and continuous overwork can be extremely dangerous.
If your high blood pressure has pushed you out of the workforce, you may be wondering if you can use SSDI to make ends meet. To learn more about SSDI requirements for hypertension, and to talk about the next steps for your claim, call The Dansby Law Firm at 334-834-7001.
How Hypertension Can Affect Your Ability to Work
High blood pressure causes a wide range of unpleasant symptoms, many of which can make it hard or even impossible to work. Symptoms include:
- Chronic headaches
- Confusion
- Fatigue
- Nausea
- Difficulty seeing
- Shortness of breath
Hypertension can also put you at a significantly higher risk for many other health issues, including stroke, heart failure, and other types of heart disease. As you may imagine, working can put even more pressure on your heart and push it even closer to its limits.
Even if you are technically able to work with your hypertension, you may find that working significantly worsens your symptoms to the point that you are unable to continue working. For example, imagine that your worst hypertension symptom is shortness of breath.
While you may be able to begin a physically taxing workday, your work may push you to the point of being unable to take full breaths within just a few hours. You may still be considered “unable to work,” as an employer is unlikely to be able to offer that level of flexibility to an employee without significantly disrupting their own business operations.
Hypertension in the Blue Book
If you’ve done any digging into the SSDI process, you may know that some recipients qualify via the Social Security Listing of Impairments, more commonly called the Blue Book. However, there is no listing in the Blue Book for hypertension. This doesn’t mean that you definitely cannot receive benefits. It simply means that there isn’t an easy list of symptoms or diagnostic tests that you can use to qualify right away.
There are exceptions. While you cannot qualify for SSDI via the Blue Book if you only have hypertension, you may still qualify if your hypertension is the result of another qualifying condition. In that case, you would need to meet the requirements listed under the other diagnosis. You would still want to include the documentation and evidence of your hypertension in order to strengthen your case.
Seeking Benefits Without the Blue Book
The other option you can pursue is an RFC analysis. RFC, or “residual functional capacity,” refers to what you are still able to do with your disability. The SSA reviews RFC analyses on a case-by-case basis, so it is important to provide as much documentation and evidence as possible.
The analysis will look at a variety of aspects of your disability in order to create a full picture of it. For example, you may have to provide information on how much you can walk, how long you can stand, how much you can lift, and how much you are able to otherwise engage with objects. It may also look at how long you can sit without pain.
In addition to your RFC analysis, you will want to go over your application file in detail with your disability attorney. When you are attempting to qualify this way, remember that the SSA has essentially no knowledge or understanding of your disability and how it affects you.
It is up to you to use your application file to show exactly how your disability affects you and why it keeps you from working. Your disability attorney can explain what the SSA typically looks for and how to send in the strongest application you can.
Contact The Dansby Law Firm Today
Whether you are ready to apply for SSDI benefits or you need help with an appeal, choose The Dansby Law Firm for the assistance you need. Call us at 334-834-7001 or reach out online to get started. We’re here to help you pursue the benefits you need.
