Professionals help fund Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits with every paycheck they earn. Funds withheld from workers’ checks support the Social Security Administration’s (SSA’s) benefits programs.
Professionals often make use of those contributions when they claim retirement benefits. However, if they become unable to work before they reach retirement age, then they may need to pursue SSDI benefits. SSDI benefits can provide monthly support for workers until they reach retirement age.
Painful and progressive conditions often top the list of why workers apply. Rheumatoid arthritis can be painful and functionally limiting. Can it make an employee eligible for SSDI benefits?
Inflammatory conditions can be debilitating
The SSA recognizes many different categories of disabling medical conditions. The SSA provides a list of maladies that can qualify for benefits and also describes symptoms that could make workers eligible even without a specific diagnosis.
There is an entire category for autoimmune and inflammatory conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis. A diagnosis alone is not enough to qualify. Generally speaking, the condition must produce symptoms that are so debilitating that a worker cannot maintain any sort of gainful employment.
They also need proof that their condition is likely to last a year or longer. Rheumatoid arthritis is often a permanent and progressive condition that worsens as time passes. If test results and other medical records support the claim that the condition is so debilitating that the individual cannot work at all, then they may be eligible for SSDI benefits.
Those applying for SSDI benefits due to debilitating physical conditions often need help gathering medical documentation and submitting the necessary paperwork to the SSA. Discussing how rheumatoid arthritis has affected an adult’s daily life and work with a skilled legal team could help them determine whether applying for SSDI benefits is a worthwhile undertaking.
