Social Security in Baltimore: Applying for Benefits With Neurological Disorders

Whether you’ve recently been diagnosed with a neurological disorder or you’ve been struggling with it your entire life, dealing with problems in the brain is not easy. Your medical care comes first, but you also have to worry about how you are going to support yourself and your family if you are not able to work because of the condition that you are experiencing. Thankfully, there is a way to relieve you of at least some of that stress: Social Security disability benefits, which you can file for after checking whether you meet the criteria listed for neurological disorders.

To start the process of receiving benefits, make sure that you are eligible to apply so that you don’t waste time and money filing a claim only to have it denied immediately. The Social Security Administration considers neurological disorders that make it difficult or impossible to move, communicate, or concentrate, as well as those that have a combination of physical and mental impairments.

The SSA also lists several specific conditions and how they are considered. For example, epilepsy, brain tumors, Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis (MS), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and muscular dystrophy are all examples of conditions that the SSA considers “neurological disorders” that are eligible to receive benefits. Furthermore, problems resulting from injury or illness – including traumatic brain injury (TBI) and coma or permanent vegetative state (PVS) – are also among the disorders listed.

You also need to check some basic criteria, such as how long you have had the condition (at least one year is required to be considered for benefits), how serious the condition is (the SSA requires that it prevent you from working or severely reduce your ability to work), what your income is (to see if you may be eligible for SSI benefits, which are offered to low-income individuals with disabilities).

After making sure that you are eligible, the next step is filling out an official application and submitting it to the Baltimore office of the SSA, so that you can be considered as soon as possible. Make sure to have a representative help you so that you fill out the form correctly and provide the proper evidence along with it. If your application is complete, you should expect a reply within several weeks.