CDL Social Security Disability Law Blog

If you’ve been diagnosed with muscular dystrophy, you know just how debilitating the disease can be and how it can make it impossible for you to do the job you’ve done your whole life. This disease significantly weakens muscles, to the point that they are difficult to use. This is especially troubling for workers who have labor-intensive jobs and rely on their physical capabilities to earn an income. 

If you’re a Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) recipient, there’s another stimulus payment on the way.

When you win Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits, the amount of money you receive every month is based on a complex formula that considers how much you have paid in Social Security taxes during your working years. But if those monthly checks stayed stagnant and were never adjusted for changes in the US cost of living, inflation would eat up your benefit amounts and you’d have less purchasing power over the years you receive SSDI. There’s no way you’d be able to continue to make ends meet if SSDI benefits weren’t periodically increased to beat the rising costs of inflation. 

If you have a physically-demanding job, then getting a cervical or lumbar herniated disc, or developing degenerative disc disease, can leave you sidelined and incapable of working for a year or more. Your condition may even be so serious that you can no longer perform the job you’ve been doing your entire adult life.

Every year, more than 3 million Americans develop coronary artery disease, also often called heart disease. This condition, which is characterized by the build-up of plaque in a patient’s arteries, limits blood flow to the heart and can cause a heart attack. Coronary artery disease is very serious, and in fact, heart disease is the leading cause of death of American men and women.

Are you or a loved one diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and experience the associated vision loss, pain, fatigue, and impaired coordination? If so, these symptoms may be affecting your ability to work, especially if you have a physically demanding job and your symptoms are making it impossible for you to do the work that you used to do.

If you or someone in your family has Parkinson’s disease, you know that the stiffness and tremors you experience can make attempting even the simplest of tasks too difficult to complete. Your case of Parkinson’s may have even advanced to the point that you’re no longer able to work because of the symptoms you experience every day, despite the medications you take and instructions you follow that your doctor has given to you. 

Rheumatoid arthritis, or RA, is an autoimmune disorder that occurs when a person’s immune system attacks the membranes surrounding their joints. This causes them to become inflamed. RA is most common among women, those between the ages of 40-60, smokers, and those with a family history of RA. If you have rheumatoid arthritis there may come a time when you need to apply for Social Security disability benefits.

Getting approved for Social Security Disability (SSDI) is not easy. Even when you suffer from a physical or mental impairment, you may not qualify for assistance and benefits. When it comes to mental impairments, there are no specific symptoms that would guarantee approval. Instead, Social Security will view your symptoms and their impact on your overall life and ability to work. Mental impairments impact everyone differently. As such, when investigating your claim, they will need to dive deeper to determine how your diagnosis and symptoms affect you specifically. How do your mental impairments impact your functional capacity to work?  

According to the CDC, about three percent of Americans who are 40 years old or older are either legally blind or are visually impaired. About twenty-one million Americans report functional vision problems or eye conditions. These conditions can significantly compromise vision. If you are legally or statutorily blind, you may qualify for SSDI benefits. If you have suffered vision loss, it is important to know that the Social Security Administration looks at vision loss a bit differently than other types of disabilities.