Neurological Disorders That Qualify for Social Security Disability Benefits

Not every condition that qualifies a person for social security disability benefits is something that is visible to others. Neurological disorders are often invisible to others but can qualify you for social security disability benefits. Learn more about what disorders qualify, how they are evaluated, and what evidence is required for the application process.

Neurological Disorders That Qualify

There are a number of neurological disorders that will qualify you for social security disability. This includes:

•  Epilepsy
• Vascular insult to the brain
• Benign brain tumors
• Parkinsonian syndrome
• Cerebral palsy
• Spinal cord disorders
• Multiple sclerosis
• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
• Post-polio syndrome
• Myasthenia gravis
• Muscular dystrophy
• Peripheral neuropathy
• Central nervous system neurodegenerative disorders, such as Huntington’s disease
• Traumatic brain injury
• Coma
• Persistent vegetative state
• Motor neuron disorders other than ALS

These disorders typically create a limitation in both physical and mental functioning and will be evaluated as such.

Evaluation of Neurological Disorders

Neurological disorders are evaluated in the same manner as other disorders. Each condition has their own set guidelines to determine if a person is disabled under this program. This takes into consideration an adult’s age, education, work skills, prior work experience, and the severity of the medical disorder that is stopping them from working. This information is requested with the application and is supplied to the field offices of the Social Security Administration and the state agency often called Disability Determination Services or the DDSs. 

Evidence Required

The evidence required for your social security claim are documents that will show your disability along with your inability to work. This can include your medical records, any reports from your physicians, and any of your test results. This includes laboratory test results, examination findings, and imaging. This may be CT scans, x-rays, EEG results, and MRI scans.
 
Your physician may be asked about your current level of ability, and you may need to attend an examination provided by social security. In any application process with social security disability benefits, it’s a good idea to have a large amount of evidence, so gather up all of your medical documents.
 
You’re not alone. Contact us today for any questions you may have regarding your neurological disorder and social security disability benefits. It can be easy to feel as though your claim isn’t enough to qualify you for social security or think that you’ll be denied, so you don’t even try, but you need to go forward with exploring your options.