If you suffer from back pain and it makes you unable to work, you may be eligible for Social Security Disability benefits. The Social Security Administration (SSA) offers the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program. The SSDI program enables individuals who have worked to earn sufficient credits and who have paid in enough taxes to the SSA to be considered eligible for benefits if specified criteria are met. In many cases, dependent children of the disabled individual are also eligible for benefits.
There are several conditions of the spine that can cause back pain and problems. Some of these conditions occur naturally with age, but others may happen prematurely or be the result of an accident or another condition.
Some examples of back problems include:
While back pain can be very debilitating and cause agony to the individual who suffers from it, the SSA makes it a challenge to get benefits for those suffering. In order to qualify for SSDI benefits, you have to be diagnosed with a medical condition that lasts for at least a year. Your examinations, including X-rays, MRIs, or your physician’s notes regarding an examination, indicate you suffer from an abnormality of the spine or spinal canal, and that is what causes your pain and discomfort.
The SSA uses their own medical guide to evaluate disability benefits applications that they receive. This guide, known as the Blue Book, helps to determine whether or not an individual meets the criteria to be considered disabled and eligible for SSDI. There is no listing for back pain, but there are listings that apply to specific conditions that cause the pain. As an example, degenerative disc disease does not have a specific listing. You have to have severe symptoms such as requiring assistance to walk, needing to adjust your position more than every two hours, and suffer from nerve-specific problems.
Regardless of the cause of your back pain, you have to provide evidence of how it impacts your ability to work and causes your daily limitations. Your documents need to include notes from your physician about limitations you have when walking or standing, and if you have to have a cane, walker or crutches in order to be mobile. These are all considered with great weight when making a disability determination decision.
Several medical tests, including X-rays, MRI and CAT scans, and other tests and examinations, can be used as ways to confirm that you are suffering from a disorder that is causing severe back pain and difficulty with your mobility. The SSA may order an additional medical evaluation at their expense to confirm your condition and the severity of your symptoms. The SSDI application process can be lengthy and may involve denials and appeals.
At Jan Dils, Attorneys at Law, we have more than 30 years of experience working with the SSA. We can tell you if you have a credible case and help you present it. Patients suffering from musculoskeletal conditions incur medical costs of about $240 billion per year in the United States. Medical bills and the inability to work can be financially devastating. Don’t go it alone. Contact us at 877.526.3457, jandils.com, or fill our this form and we will get back to you shortly. Your first consultation is always free. Please, now more than ever, don’t hesitate to contact us.
Source: https://www.disability-benefits-help.org/disabling-conditions/back-pain
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