The federal Social Security Administration (SSA) provides disability benefits for individuals who can no longer work because of an injury, illness or other physical or mental disability. The so-called 'SSA Blue Book' lists qualifying disabilities, illnesses and impairments; however, interpretation of the criteria is often a moving target. A medical diagnosis from a qualified medical professional is a required part of the SSDI application process. Any impairment that causes a loss of functioning to the extent that you cannot work can qualify you for SSDI or SSI.
To learn more about applying for benefits and the requirements and expectations for a representative payee, talk to an attorney at Berger and Green. We have a record of working with more than 50,000 SSDI disability claims for clients in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio. We are ready to help you with all of your SSDI claims needs. Contact us to discuss the specifics of your disability.
Some of the qualifying disabilities recognized by the SSA include:
Musculoskeletal system
- Major dysfunction of a joint
- Reconstructive surgery of a major weight-bearing joint
- Disorders of the spine
- Amputation
- Fractures of the femur, tibia, pelvis or tarsal bones
- Fracture of an upper extremity
- Soft tissue injury
- Arthritis
System disorders
- Systemic lupus erythematosus
- Systemic vasculitis
- Systemic sclerosis
- Polymyositis and dermatomyositis
- Undifferentiated and mixed connective tissue disease
- Immune deficiency disorders (excluding HIV infections)
- Human immunodeficiency (HIV) infection
- Inflammatory arthritis
- Sjogren's syndrome
- Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS)
- Chronic heart failure
- Recurrent arrhythmias
- Symptomatic congenital heart disease
- Heart transplant
- Aneurysm of aorta or major branches
- Chronic venous insufficiency
- Peripheral arterial disease
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Cancer treatment impairments
- Breast
- Ovarian
- Esophagus or stomach
- Small intestine, large intestine
- Liver or gallbladder
- Pancreas
- Kidneys, adrenal glands or ureters carcinoma
- Urinary bladder carcinoma
- Cancers of the female genital tract
- Testicles, penis
- Metastatic carcinoma or sarcoma
- Malignant neoplastic diseases treated by bone marrow or stem cell transplantation
Digestive system
- Gastrointestinal hemorrhaging requiring blood transfusion
- Chronic liver disease
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Short bowel syndrome
- Weight loss due to any digestive disorder
- Obesity
- Liver transplant
- Crohn's Disease
Endocrine System
- Thyroid disorders
- Diabetes insipidus (water diabetes)
- Hyper-function of the adrenal cortex
- Diabetes mellitus (sugar diabetes)
Genitourinary impairments
- Chronic renal (kidney) disease
Hematological disorders
- Blood disorders such as chronic anemia
- Sickle cell disease
- chronic thrombocytopenia (low platelet count)
- Hereditary telangiectasia (small dilated blood vessels)
- Coagulation defects such as hemophilia
- Bone marrow disorders
- Chronic granulocytopenia
- Aplastic anemias with bone marrow or stem cell transplantation
Impairments That Affect Multiple Body Systems
- Non-mosaic down syndrome
Malignant neoplastic diseases
- Soft tissue tumors of the head and neck skin
- Soft tissue sarcoma
- Lymphoma
- Leukemia
- Multiple myeloma
- Salivary glands
- Thyroid gland
- Skeletal system-sarcoma
- Maxilla, orbit or temporal fossa
- Luera or mediastinum
Mental and developmental disorders
- Schizophrenic, paranoid and other psychotic disorders
- Affective disorders
- Alzheimer's
- Mental retardation
- Anxiety-related disorders
- Somatoform (physical symptoms) disorders
- Personality disorders
- Substance addiction disorders
- Autistic disorder
- Sleep Disorders
- Convulsive epilepsy (grand mal or psychomotor)
- Non-convulsive epilepsy (petit mal, psychomotor, or focal)
- Central nervous system vascular accident
- Brain tumors
- Parkinsonian Disease
- Cerebral palsy
- Spinal cord or nerve root lesions
- Multiple sclerosis
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
- Myasthenia gravis
- Muscular dystrophy
- Peripheral neuropathies
- Sub acute combined cord degeneration
- Degenerative disease
- Cerebral trauma
- Syringomyelia
- Stroke
Respiratory impairments
- Chronic pulmonary disease
- Ventilatory disease
- Asthma
- Cystic fibrosis
- Pneumoconiosis
- Chronic lung infections
- Sleep-related breathing disorders
- Lung transplant
Skin disorders
- Ichthyosis
- Bullous disease
- Chronic infections of the skin or mucous membranes
- Dermatitis
- Inflammatory disease of the apocrine sweat glands
- Genetic photosensitivity disorders
- Burns
Special senses and speech disorders
- Visual disorders
- Hearing loss
- Loss of speech
This does not represent a comprehensive list of qualifying impairments, illnesses or disability. Contact Berger and Green to discuss the specifics of your case. We offer a free consultation.
Pennsylvania · West Virginia · Ohio
From our main office in Pittsburgh, our attorneys provide SSDI and SSI services for clients throughout Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio. Contact us to arrange a free consultation with an experienced Social Security lawyer today.
