Can You Get Disability Benefits for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

If you or a loved one has carpal tunnel syndrome and are unable to work regularly, you may be entitled to social security disability benefits. Carpal tunnel syndrome or CTS is a chronic health condition that involves swelling of important nerves in the wrist that supply feeling to the fingers and hand. When the condition flares up, it can prevent feeling in these sensitive areas, resulting in numbness, general weakness, tingling and a reduction in fine motor skills. For those who work in a position that requires regular use of the hands – like operating machinery, typing, and filing – CTS can make it extremely difficult to keep up with your assigned job duties. And in many cases, it can result in the inability to maintain regular work.

Carpel Tunnel Syndrome

Can I Get Social Security Disability Benefits for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

Did you know that CTS is so common that anywhere from 4 to 10 million Americans are affected by the condition? Depending on the severity of your condition, you may be eligible to receive disability payments from the Social Security Administration (SSA). However, proving that your condition is severe enough to prevent regular work can be very difficult. This is due largely to the fact that proper diagnosis for the condition isn’t always easy and the SSA requires applicants submit several important documentation to show that they are struggling with a severe enough case of carpal tunnel.

Some of the documentation required by the SSA to prove eligibility for benefits includes:

Observation of symptoms
Objective testing
Medical evaluations
Detailed medical reports
And more

Unfortunately, the SSA “Blue Book” does not list carpal tunnel as a disabling condition. But it does list several other conditions that often co-occur with carpal tunnel as qualifying conditions. These include: