How To Qualify For Social Security Disability With Diabetes

The review process that your application for Social Security disability must go through focuses on determining whether you have a medical condition that is severe enough to prevent you from working. If you have an impairment that meets or equals one listed in the Listing of Impairments, or “Blue Book,” that the Social Security Administration relies upon to assist application examiners.

Blue Book impairments generally meet the severity criteria needed to meet the disability definition to qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance or Supplemental Security Income. To qualify for SSD for diabetes, you need more than just a medical diagnosis that you have a form of diabetes. Your medical records must show that you suffer from other conditions related to diabetes to meet or equal the Listing of Impairments.

If you have diabetes and cannot work, let an SSD lawyer at London Disability review your claim for disability with diabetes to determine whether your medical records support it. Even if you do not qualify based on having a condition that meets the Blue Book criteria, you still may qualify for SSD with diabetes.

What is diabetes?

Your body takes the food that you consume and breaks it down into glucose or sugar, which is then released into the bloodstream. As the sugar level increases in your blood, the pancreas responds by releasing insulin, which allows the sugar to be absorbed into your cells for energy.

When you have diabetes, either your body does not produce enough insulin or the insulin produced does not cause the cells to absorb the sugar, which remains in your bloodstream. Excess glucose may cause serious health issues, including loss of vision, kidney disease and heart disease.

Of people diagnosed with diabetes, 5-10% have type 1 diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Type 2 diabetes is more common and affects 90-95% of people diagnosed with diabetes. Some of the symptoms associated with type 1 and type 2 diabetes include:

• 1). Unexplained weight loss.
• 2). Increased appetite.
• 3). Increased thirst.
• 4). Fatigue.
• 5). Frequent urination.
• 6). Impaired vision.
• 7). Numbness or tingling in the extremities.

If you suspect that you have diabetes, a physical examination and diagnostic testing by a doctor is essential. Diabetes can be controlled through diet and medication, but if left untreated, it can lead to serious health issues, including:

• A). Vascular disease.
• B). Nerve damage.
• C). Vision problems.
• D). Skin infections.
• E). Stroke and heart disease.

  A diagnosis from a physician that you have diabetes may not automatically qualify for SSD because Social Security does not include diabetes as a disability listing in the Listing of Impairments. There are, however, other options to qualify for SSD with diabetes that London Disability lawyers and disability advocates can explore with you.

  Diabetes and disability listings

  A medical condition that equals or matches a listing impairment is considered to be severe enough to cause a qualifying disability. Although diabetes alone is not a listed impairment, the following are some of the complications related to diabetes that appear in the listing of impairments:

  An SSI lawyer at London Disability can review the medical evidence contained in your medical records and let you know whether it supports the presence of a listed impairment. If it does not, you still may be eligible for SSD for diabetes with limited residual functional capacity.

  How does diabetes affect your ability to work?

  If Social Security determines that you do not have a listed impairment, it continues reviewing your application to determine the level of work activities that the diabetes allows you to perform. Residual functional capacity measures the level of activities you can engage in with diabetes. Among the factors Social Security looks at when reviewing your application include the following:

  If you cannot engage in the type of work that you performed prior to being diagnosed with diabetes, Social Security looks to determine whether your age, education and skills qualify you to engage in any other type of work. Being unable to go back to the type of work you did before or be trained to engage in a new type of work may allow you to qualify for SSD with diabetes.

  Speak with a London Disability lawyer

  The best resource for accurate information and skilled representation for Social Security disability with diabetes is an SSD lawyer from London Disability. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation.

  • • I). Diabetic nephropathy: Diabetes may damage the kidneys and cause them to fail to properly function and require dialysis.
    • II). Diabetic peripheral neuropathies: Nerve damage in the hands, arms, legs and feet may occur and make it difficult for a person to stand, walk, or use their hands.
    • III). Poorly healing skin and bacterial infections: Diabetes may cause skin lesions that become infected and are difficult to heal.
    • IV). Heart and vascular conditions: Coronary artery disease, heart failure and vascular disease may result from diabetes.
    • 1). Medical records, including diagnostic test results and clinical findings noted by your physician.
    • 2). A statement from your physician about functional limitations caused by diabetes.
    • 3). Statements from you, family members and others with knowledge of the limits placed on activities that you may engage in because of diabetes.