SSDI Lawyers for Diabetes

At Pekas Smith: Arizona Disability Attorneys, we are Arizona SSDI lawyers for people with diabetes to claim their Social Security Disability benefits. Call 602.962.2818 or message us for a consultation to see if you qualify and what’s involved in bringing a case.

Attorneys for Diabetes Disability Benefits

Our lawyers help people with all aspects of a diabetes disability benefits claim. We can help you:

• Determine if you qualify for benefits
• Gather and present the medical evidence needed for an application
• File an application
• Represent you at a hearing
• Identify and avoid mistakes in the application process
• Appeal if your claim has been denied
• Represent you in a benefits review

You can have a lawyer represent you. Our law firm helps people get and maintain the benefits they deserve.

The process for applying for disability is complicated. Many people get denied because they don’t know what to do or what information to provide. Our lawyers for diabetes disability benefits can begin at any stage in your case and take care of everything.

To see how we can help you call or message us now to discuss your situation.

Can You Get Social Security Disability for Diabetes?

If your diabetes prevents you from substantial, gainful employment, you may qualify to get Social Security Disability. Qualification is not automatic. Your medical condition or a combination of health conditions must prevent you from working.

You may qualify for Social Security for diabetes if you have suffered:

• Amputation
• Retinopathy, vision loss
• Heart failure and other cardiovascular complications
• Digestive complications, intestinal necrosis
• Diabetic nephropathy, kidney damage
• Infection
• Nerve damage, neuropathy
• Cognitive impairment
• Depression, anxiety, and other mental disorders
• Other medical complications

These are just some of the medical complications that may qualify you for Social Security Disability based on diabetes. A wide range of complications, or a combination of medical conditions, may prevent a person from working. These complications may be the basis of an application for benefits. An applicant must meet other eligibility criteria, including work history.

What percentage of people with diabetes are on work disability?

20-30% of people with diabetes report work disabilities. About 4% of working-age adults receive SSDI benefits, making individuals with diabetes more likely to be on work disability than the general population.

SSDI Benefits for Diabetes

Diabetes falls under Section 9.00 of the Social Security Disability Adult Listings. The Listings are used to evaluate disabilities for determining SSDI eligibility—section 9.00 covers endocrine disorders, including diabetes mellitus (DM).

Someone may receive disability for:

• Type I
• Type II
• Gestational diabetes
• Maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY)
• Steroid-induced diabetes

The different types of diabetes are evaluated in how they impact the person and their ability to work, not simply by the type of diabetes alone.

Section 9.00(B)(5) explains that diabetes interrupts the production of insulin and other regulating hormones. It acknowledges type 1 and type 2 diabetes as chronic disorders with potential for disabling complications. The guidelines say that while diabetes can be controlled, often it’s not controlled. When diabetes leads to impairments that impact the ability to work, evaluating the impairments under the bodily system affected is appropriate.

How Is Diabetes Evaluated for SSDI Benefits?

Evaluating an SSDI application based on diabetes follows a five-step process:

1. Is the person working?

If an applicant engages in substantial gainful activity, they are not disabled.

2. Does the applicant have a severe, medically determinable impairment?

Medical findings may show a severe, medically determinable impairment. Symptoms alone are insufficient. The applicant must show the effect of diabetes or a combination of impairments resulting in a significant limitation of basic work activities. Without a severe impairment, there is no disability.

3. Do the applicant’s impairments equal a listing?

Diabetes is not a listed impairment in the SSD Blue Book, but a person’s impairments may equal a listing for an affected body system.

4. What is the person’s residual functional capacity?

If the applicant’s medical condition doesn’t equal a listing, they may still qualify based on residual functional capacity (RFC). Most diabetes-based applications reach this criterion. Residual functional capacity assesses the combined effects of diabetes and other medical conditions. In step four, examiners consider whether the applicant can perform any work they have done in the past.

5. Can the person do any work that exists in the economy?

If an applicant can’t do past work because of their residual functional capacity limitations, examiners look at whether they can perform any type of work. The work must exist in significant numbers in the economy.

A successful claim for SSDI benefits for diabetes must present medical evidence to satisfy the criteria. Medical records, laboratory and test results, as well as factual information about the ability to work, may be critical to a claim. The applicant’s residual functioning capacity should be fully explained and verified with medical evidence.

As your lawyers, we build the evidence, understanding the legal criteria and the necessary medical evidence to make a claim successful.

How to Get SSDI for Diabetes

To get SSDI for diabetes, you complete an application to apply for disability. The application explains your work history, your medical impairment, and how your impairment prevents you from working. The applicant must have a qualifying work history or qualification based on a spouse or parent’s working history.

SSDI for diabetes is not a partial or short-term disability. You must show that you can’t perform substantial gainful activity and that your condition is expected to last at least a year or cause death.

If your claim is denied, you have the right to appeal. You may appeal for medical or non-medical reasons. You may also reapply.

Help from an Experienced Disability Lawyer in Arizona

Pekas Smith: Arizona Disability Attorneys work to achieve outcomes for our clients. Our legal skills and knowledge can give you an advantage as you seek the SSDI benefits you need and deserve.

Contact our SSDI lawyers for diabetes to learn about our legal services and how we can assist you with an application. We are taking new cases now, and we can represent you starting at any stage in your case. Call 602.962.2818 or message us today.