Social Security Disability | Law Offices of Stephen Barszcz

SSDI Eligibility for a Chronic Lifelong Condition That Has Worsened

Jay Butchko — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 10:00:10 +0000

Many chronic illnesses begin relatively early in life — some even in childhood, others in early adulthood — and may have manageable symptoms for years or even for decades. However, various types of chronic diseases can worsen as a person ages or as they deal with other medical diagnoses that make the chronic illness more difficult to treat. If you have a chronic disease or illness that has worsened, and that your health care providers do not expect to improve significantly anytime soon, could you be eligible to obtain Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits even though your condition never used to be severe enough to warrant disability payments?

In short, you may be eligible for SSDI and should discuss your case with an SSD eligibility lawyer. In the meantime, we can provide you with more information about proving your eligibility for SSDI payments with a chronic illness that has recently become significantly worse and has prevented you from working.

How to Prove Your Eligibility for SSDI with a Chronic Illness or Disease

How can you prove your eligibility for SSDI with a chronic illness or disease that you have had for a long time and with which you have been working for years or even decades? If the condition has worsened, you may certainly now be eligible for benefits.

First, you will need medical evidence that proves the following: your medical condition and its current symptoms are expected to last for at least one year or two result in your death, and the condition is severe enough (now, even if it was not previously) to prevent you from engaging in substantial gainful activity (SGA).

In addition, the Social Security Administration (SSA) will also need evidence of your non-medical eligibility. You will need to show that you have worked in an SSD-eligible position long enough and recently enough such that you have sufficient credits to qualify for benefits. Your attorney can help you to gather this information.

Types of Chronic Illnesses or Diseases That Can Worsen Significantly Over Time

There are various types of chronic illnesses or diseases that can be managed with medication or other treatments for extended periods of time, or that may not have significantly severe symptoms, but can worsen over time or treatments can cease to be effective. Common examples include but are not limited to:

Asthma;
Arthritis;
Rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune disorders;
Degenerative disc diseases;
Lupus;
Crohn’s disease;
Multiple sclerosis;
Parkinson’s disease;
Epilepsy; and
Mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, or bipolar disorder.

Contact Our National SSDI Eligibility Attorney for Assistance Meeting Eligibility Requirements with a Chronic Condition

Have you been living with a chronic illness or disease that has worsened in severity in recent months? If so, and if your health care providers expect the current severity of the condition to remain as it is for at least 12 months or to result in your death, it is important to find out more about your eligibility for SSDI benefits. One of the experienced national SSD eligibility lawyers at the Law Offices of Stephen Barszcz can speak with you today to begin working on your medical and non-medical eligibility, and helping you to gather the information necessary to be approved for benefits as quickly as possible. Contact our firm to learn more about how we can assist you with your SSD eligibility and your application, and, if necessary, an appeal.

Source:

ssa.gov/benefits/disability/qualify.html

Your Eligibility for SSDI with an Autoimmune Disease

Jay Butchko — Mon, 21 Sep 2026 10:00:54 +0000

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits are often crucial for adults who have sustained serious injuries in accidents or have been diagnosed with debilitating medical conditions that prevent them from working. Unlike other forms of disability benefits administered through the Social Security Administration (SSA), SSDI benefits can be available to adults whether they were very high earners while working, lower-income workers, or somewhere in between — these benefits are not designed for those with limited assets or income. Instead, SSDI benefits are designed specifically for disabled adults who worked long enough and recently enough to qualify.

Can you qualify for SSDI benefits if you were recently diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that is preventing you from working, or if your autoimmune disease has recently become worse to such a degree that you cannot work? You may be eligible for SSDI payments. Consider the following information from our national SSDI eligibility lawyer.

Understanding Autoimmune Diseases

What are autoimmune diseases, and how can these result in disabilities?

According to the Cleveland Clinic, “autoimmune diseases are health conditions that happen when your immune system attacks your body instead of defending it.” They can also be called autoimmune disorders, and they can vary widely in terms of severity. Currently, health care providers recognize more than 100 different types of existing autoimmune diseases, and they can have different types of effects on body systems such as your joints, muscles, skin, blood vessels, digestive system, endocrine system, and nervous system.

Examples of commonly diagnosed autoimmune disorders include but are not limited to:

Rheumatoid arthritis;
Lupus;
Psoriasis;
Crohn’s disease;
Celiac disease;
Type 1 diabetes; and
Multiple sclerosis (MS).

Determining SSDI Eligibility with an Autoimmune Disease

In order to be eligible for SSDI payments due to your autoimmune disease, you will need to meet the medical requirement and the non-medical requirement. The non-medical requirement involves proving that you worked long enough, as well as recently enough, that you are eligible for this benefit. The non-medical requirement has no connection to your medical condition or diagnosis.

As far as the medical requirement, the SSA will require you to prove with medical evidence that your autoimmune disease is expected to last at least 12 months or to result in your death, and that it is severe enough that it prevents you from engaging in substantial gainful activity (or SGA for short). You can meet the medical requirement whether you were recently diagnosed or an existing autoimmune disease worsened.

Contact Our National SSDI Eligibility Attorney Today for Assistance with Your Autoimmune Disease SSD Application

Were you recently diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, or has an autoimmune disease worsened significantly such that you are now unable to work? If so, depending on the specific details of your medical condition and your work record, you could be eligible for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits. To be clear, these benefits are not the type of disability benefits for those with limited resources — you can be eligible for SSDI benefits regardless of your earning level prior to your medical condition preventing you from working. To find out more about your eligibility and to begin working on your application for benefits, you should get in touch with one of the experienced national SSD eligibility lawyers at the Law Offices of Stephen Barszcz as soon as possible. Contact our firm today to learn more about how we can assist you.

Source:

my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21624-autoimmune-diseases

Asthma and SSDI Eligibility

Jay Butchko — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 10:00:44 +0000

Asthma is a common condition, and in many people, it can be severe. According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, approximately 28 million Americans have asthma, which is about 8 percent of the total population. Rates are highest among adults between the ages of 35-64, and among Black and Indigenous Americans, though asthma can affect anyone. This disease can vary in its severity, and in some people, it can cause substantial disability.

If you have asthma, can you be eligible to receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits? It will depend entirely on the condition as you experience it and how it impacts your ability to work. Our SSD eligibility attorneys can explain in more detail.

What is Asthma and How Does It Affect Adults?

A significant portion of the American population has been diagnosed with asthma, as we noted above. But not all individuals with asthma experience it in the same way or to the same degree of severity.

According to the Mayo Clinic, asthma is “a condition in which your airways narrow and swell and may produce extra mucus.” As a result of the condition, asthma “can make breathing difficult and trigger coughing, a whistling sound (wheezing) when you breathe out, and shortness of breath.” Asthma is a condition that is not curable but is one that can be controlled with medications. As the Mayo Clinic clarifies, in some patients, asthma is simply “a minor nuisance,” whereas for other individuals, “it can be a major problem that interferes with daily activities and may lead to a life-threatening asthma attack.”

It is also important to know that a person’s experience with asthma can change over time. While it may be mild at first, it can become a significantly disabling condition.

Qualifying for SSDI with Asthma

Asthma is listed as a potentially SSDI-eligible condition in the Blue Book under section 3.00 for respiratory disorders. According to the Blue Book, you can be eligible for SSDI due to your asthma if you have a particular result in a pulmonary function test known as a forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) test, or a specific SpO2 level, or certain exacerbations or complications associated with your asthma.

Even if you do not meet the definitions set forth in the Blue Book, if you can provide medical evidence that shows your condition is expected to last for at least 12 months and that it prevents you from substantial gainful activity (in addition to the non-medical requirement), you may still be eligible for SSDI payments.

Contact Our SSDI Eligibility Attorney for Assistance with Your SSD Application and Your Asthma Diagnosis

If you have been diagnosed with asthma and the condition is severe enough that it prevents you from engaging in substantial gainful activity, for the reasons discussed above, you may be eligible to obtain SSDI benefits. You will need to work with an attorney to determine whether you meet the medical requirements based on the medical evidence you have, and whether you meet the non-medical requirement of having worked long enough and recently enough to qualify based on the number of work credits you have earned. Keep in mind that if you are a younger person, there are exceptions for the work credit requirements if you have not been of working age long enough to qualify with the standard work credit requirement. One of the experienced national SSD eligibility lawyers at the Law Offices of Stephen Barszcz can begin working with you on your SSDI eligibility and your application. Contact us today for assistance.

Source:

ssa.gov/disability/professionals/bluebook/3.00-Respiratory-Adult.htm

SSDI Eligibility with Schizophrenia

Jay Butchko — Mon, 07 Sep 2026 10:00:28 +0000

Whether you were recently diagnosed with schizophrenia, or you have known of your diagnosis for quite some time but the condition has worsened significantly in recent time, you may be wondering about your eligibility to obtain Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits through the Social Security Administration (SSA) if your condition prevents you from working and earning a living. Eligibility for SSD with schizophrenia is a two-part process that comprises meeting medical eligibility requirements and non-medical eligibility requirements. The non-medical eligibility portion is usually quite straightforward: our firm can obtain information about your work history to determine whether you have worked recently enough, and for a long enough period of time, to qualify.

As for the medical requirement, the SSA will require you to provide medical documentation from an “acceptable medical source” that proves your condition is expected to last for at least 12 months or to result in your death, and that proves your condition prevents you from participating in “substantial gainful activity” (SGA), or meaningful employment. Our SSD eligibility lawyer can tell you more below, and we can speak with you today about assessing your eligibility for benefits based on your schizophrenia diagnosis.

What is Schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is one type of “mental disorder” identified in Section 12.03 of the SSA Blue Book under “schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders.” According to the Mayo Clinic, schizophrenia is “a serious mental health condition that affects how people think, feel, and behave” that can “result in a mix of hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized thinking and behavior.” Individuals who have been diagnosed with schizophrenia require “lifelong treatment,” which can include a mix of medications and other therapies. The severity of the condition depends on the patient’s response to treatment and other factors.

Proving SSDI Eligibility with Schizophrenia

How your schizophrenia presents, and whether or not it is treatable in such a way that allows you to engage in SGA, will be determining factors in your SSDI eligibility.

You will need medical documentation from your health care provider(s) that proves your condition does not allow for SGA and that it is likely to persist in its current form for at least one year. Your doctor will be able to indicate the treatments that you have received, how those have impacted your condition, and what is expected in the months and years to follow since schizphrenia is a lifelong condition.

Contact Our National SSDI Eligibility Lawyer for Help Seeking Benefits Due to Schizophrenia

If you have been diagnosed with schizophrenia and the disease presents in such a way, or impacts you in such a way, that you cannot engage in substantial gainful activity, you may be eligible for SSDI benefits. To determine your eligibility for SSDI benefits and to begin working on your application, you should get in touch with one of the experienced national SSD eligibility attorneys at the Law Offices of Stephen Barszcz to discuss the details of your case. Our firm can assess your non-medical eligibility and can assist you in compiling all of the medical evidence you will need to prove your medical eligibility based on your schizophrenia diagnoses. Do not hesitate to reach out to us to learn more about how we can assist you.

Source:

ssa.gov/disability/professionals/bluebook/12.00-MentalDisorders-Adult.htm

Could the Compassionate Allowances Program Speed Up Your Social Security Disability Claim?

Jay Butchko — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 10:00:51 +0000

If you have applied for Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits, you already know that the waiting period can stretch from several months to well over a year. For most applicants, that wait is simply part of the process. However, if you have been diagnosed with one of the most severe medical conditions recognized by the Social Security Administration (SSA), you may be able to skip much of that delay through a program known as Compassionate Allowances. Our SSD eligibility lawyers regularly help clients determine whether their diagnosis qualifies for this expedited path, and we can explain the basics below.

What Is the Compassionate Allowances Program?

The Compassionate Allowances (CAL) initiative allows the SSA to identify claims involving conditions that so clearly meet the agency’s definition of disability that extensive medical development is often unnecessary. Rather than waiting through the standard review process, applicants with a qualifying CAL diagnosis can have their claims flagged early and moved through the system on an accelerated basis. According to the SSA, the list of CAL conditions now includes 300 diagnoses, ranging from certain aggressive cancers and adult brain disorders to rare genetic conditions that primarily affect children.

How the Fast Track Process Works

Being diagnosed with a condition on the CAL list does not eliminate the need for medical evidence. You will still need documentation from an acceptable medical source confirming your diagnosis. What changes is the speed at which your claim can move once that diagnosis is confirmed. Because these conditions are considered inherently severe, examiners can approve them without gathering the extensive additional records typically required in a standard SSD claim. Some applicants with a CAL diagnosis have received a decision within weeks rather than months.

It is also important to understand that the CAL list is not static. The SSA periodically adds new conditions based on medical advancements and input from advocacy groups, physicians, and the National Institutes of Health. If your specific diagnosis is not currently listed, you may still qualify for standard SSD benefits, but your case will likely proceed through the traditional eligibility timeline rather than the expedited one.

Do You Still Need to Meet Standard SSD Requirements?

Yes. Even with a CAL diagnosis, you must still satisfy the SSA’s non-medical eligibility requirements, meaning you need sufficient recent work history to have earned enough credits toward SSD benefits. The CAL program only affects how quickly your medical eligibility can be confirmed. It does not replace the work history requirement, and it does not guarantee approval if your file is missing documentation the SSA needs to verify your diagnosis.

Contact Our National SSD Eligibility Attorneys for Help With Your Claim

If you or a loved one has recently been diagnosed with a severe medical condition and you are wondering whether it might qualify for expedited processing, it is worth discussing your situation with an experienced advocate. The national SSD eligibility attorneys at the Law Offices of Stephen Barszcz can review your diagnosis, help gather the medical evidence needed to support a Compassionate Allowance claim, and confirm your work history meets the non-medical requirements. Contact our firm today to learn more about how we can help you pursue the benefits you deserve as quickly as possible.

Source:

ssa.gov/compassionateallowances/index.htm

Skin Disorders and SSDI Eligibility

Jay Butchko — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 10:00:01 +0000

The Social Security Administration (SSA) handles applications for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), which can be paid out to individuals who have a very wide range of impairments that qualify them medically for benefits. To be eligible for SSDI payments, you must meet two separate requirements: 1) medical requirement, and 2) non-medical requirement, which is a work requirement. The medical requirement says that you must have an impairment — and medical evidence to show it — that is expected to last for at least 12 months or to result in your death, and the impairment must be severe enough that it prevents you from engaging in substantial gainful activity. The non-medical requirement involves your work history: showing that you worked for a long enough period and recently enough to have sufficient credits for SSDI payments.

There is no requirement that your medical impairment be a specific type of condition or diagnosis, but only that it meets the above requirement. This includes certain types of skin disorders, which our SSDI eligibility attorneys can explain in more detail below.

Skin Disorders in the SSA Blue Book

The SSA has a “Blue Book” that provides information about many of the types of impairments or conditions that can qualify a person for SSDI benefits on a medical basis. Section 8.00 of the Blue Book includes various types of skin disorders that can make a person eligible for SSDI payments. What are these skin disorders, and what should you do if you have a skin disorder that is not listed in the Blue Book?

The Blue Book specifically identifies the following types of skin disorders as those that are assessed for SSDI eligibility:

Photosensitivity disorders;
Burns; and
Chronic conditions of the skin or mucus membranes, which may include but are not limited to ichthyosis, bullous disease, dermatitis, psoriasis, and hidradenitis.

Assessing Skin Disorders Included and Excluded from the Blue Book

Whether you have a skin disorder that is expressly identified in the Blue Book or one that is not specifically named, the SSA will be looking at the medical evidence you submit to determine whether the skin disorder meets the definition of a compensable disability through SSDI as we discussed above. Some of the key information used in the SSA’s medical assessment includes, as cited in the Blue Book:

Onset, duration, and frequency of exacerbations of the skin disorder;
Prognosis of the skin disorder;
Location, size, and appearance of lesions and contractures;
Any available history of familial incidence of the skin disorder;
Your exposure to toxins, allergens or irritants, seasonal variations, and stress factors;
Your ability to function outside the highly protective information;
Laboratory findings (such as biopsies); and
Your statements concerning how the skin disorders result in restrictions of your daily activities.

Contact a National SSDI Eligibility Attorney for Assistance Seeking Disability Benefits for Your Skin Disorder

If you have been diagnosed with a serious skin disorder or impairment that meets the SSA’s definition of a disability, you may be eligible to receive SSDI payments. You should begin working with one of the experienced national SSD eligibility lawyers at the Law Offices of Stephen Barszcz as soon as possible to determine your eligibility based on your medical history and your work history, and to begin preparing your application. It is essential to get started on your application with your attorney’s help as quickly as possible so that you can begin receiving benefits as soon as your application is processed and approved, and the required five-month waiting period has elapsed. Contact us today to begin working on your SSDI benefits application.

Source:

ssa.gov/disability/professionals/bluebook/8.00-Skin-Adult.htm

Can I Be Eligible for SSDI Benefits for Hearing Loss After Cochlear Implantation?

Jay Butchko — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:00:16 +0000

Hearing loss, and the varied forms it takes, can be a reason for a person to seek Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits through the Social Security Administration (SSA). In order to be eligible for benefits based on hearing loss, you must show that your condition, based on medical evidence, is expected to last for at least one year (or to result in your death), and you must be able to show that your condition prevents you from engaging in substantial gainful activity. Hearing loss is a recognized disability in the SSA’s Blue Book, a guide used to determine whether a condition meets the required definition of a disability.

How is SSDI eligibility for hearing loss affected by cochlear implantation? In general, it will depend on the individual’s circumstances and experience with cochlear implantation, but if you have already been approved for SSDI benefits, you may be eligible to continue receiving them for at least one year following cochlear implantation. Our SSDI eligibility lawyer can explain in more detail.

What is Cochlear Implantation?

According to the American Cochlear Implant Alliance, a cochlear implant “is an electronic medical device designed to restore the ability to perceive sounds and understand speech by individuals with moderate to profound hearing loss.”

Cochlear implants are not hearing aids. Hearing aids are also medical devices that assist with hearing, but hearing aids “deliver amplified sound acoustically.” A cochlear implant, differently, “bypasses damaged hair cells in the cochlea and stimulates the remaining nerve fibers directly through the application of electrical current.” The success of cochlear implants depends on many different factors, and they are not successful for all patients who receive them, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Can I Receive or Continue Receiving SSDI Benefits with Cochlear Implants?

Whether you are currently receiving SSDI benefits or are planning to apply for benefits due to hearing and sensory loss, you may be wondering if you will be benefits-eligible if you receive cochlear implants.

Under the SSA Blue Book, you can still receive SSDI benefits after cochlear implantation. For one year after initial implantation, hearing loss treated with cochlear implantation is still considered to be under a disability. After one year of implantation, if the recipient of the device has a word recognition score of 60 percent or less, they can remain eligible for SSDI.

Contact Our National Social Security Disability Eligibility Attorney for Help Seeking Benefits Due to Hearing Loss

Have you experienced hearing loss as a result of a traumatic incident, long-term exposure issues, or a serious medical diagnosis? If so, you may be eligible to obtain SSDI benefits through the SSA. For some individuals who experience significant hearing loss, it may be possible, as we discussed above, to have some hearing ability restored through cochlear implantation. If you have undergone — or are considering undergoing — cochlear implantation, the SSA does allow your continued SSDI eligibility for a period of time, as we indicated. To find out more about your continuing SSDI eligibility for hearing loss or to seek advice about having benefits reinstated, you should get in touch with one of the experienced national SSD eligibility lawyers at the Law Offices of Stephen Barszcz. Contact our firm today for assistance with your SSDI benefits.

Sources:

ssa.gov/disability/professionals/bluebook/2.00-SpecialSensesandSpeech-Adult.htm#2_11

acialliance.org/page/CochlearImplant

COPD and SSDI Eligibility

Jay Butchko — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 10:00:01 +0000

Were you recently diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and is the disease preventing you from being able to work? If so, you may be eligible to receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits through the Social Security Administration (SSA). In order to be eligible for SSDI benefits, you must meet two different types of requirements.

First, you must meet a medical requirement that requires you to show you have a medical condition that is expected to last for at least a year or to result in your death, and that prevents you from engaging in substantial gainful activity, meaning work and earnings. This is how the SSA defines a disability. In addition, you must have a work history — of working long enough and recently enough so that you have sufficient credits to qualify you for SSDI benefits. Most people who have worked full-time, or even on a part-time basis over the last number of years will meet this requirement.

What do you need to know specifically about COPD and eligibility?

COPD is Often a Disabling Condition

The disease of COPD is often disabling. As the Mayo Clinic explains, it is a lung condition that causes damage to the lungs and “results in swelling and irritation,” which in turn limits the airflow into and out of the patient’s lungs. The two most common types of COPY are emphysema and chronic bronchitis. According to the Mayo Clinic, these “two conditions usually occur together and can vary in severity among people with COPD.”

When a person has COPD, they can experience a daily cough that can be severe, trouble breaking, and wheezing. It can result from the person’s long-term exposure to irritants such as chemicals, dust, fumes, and smoke (including cigarette smoke).

SSA Blue Book and COPD

COPD is listed within the SSA’s Blue Book, which provides detailed information about various kinds of impairments that can qualify a person medically for disability benefits.

COPD is listed under Section 3.00 for respiratory disorders, and there are various types of tests that can be done, including a DLCO test, to assess a person’s lung disease and their eligibility for benefits. Even outside the Blue Book, if your COPD prevents you from engaging in substantial gainful activity, you may qualify medically for SSD benefits.

Contact Our National SSD Eligibility Attorney for Assistance Seeking Disability Benefits for a COPD Diagnosis

If you have been diagnosed with COPD and the disease is at a point that it prevents you from engaging in substantial gainful activity, as long as your work history is sufficient to qualify for SSDI benefits, you may be able to receive payments within five months from the date that your disability began. It is important to begin working with a lawyer as soon as possible so that you can submit a detailed and complete application, and so that you can begin receiving your benefits as soon as the five-month waiting period has elapsed and the SSA has processed and approved your application. One of the experienced national SSD eligibility lawyers at the Law Offices of Stephen Barszcz can begin working with you on your SSDI application based on your COPD diagnosis today. Contact us for assistance.

Sources:

ssa.gov/disability/professionals/bluebook/3.00-Respiratory-Adult.htm#3_09

mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/copd/symptoms-causes/syc-20353679

How Much Medical Evidence Do I Need for My SSDI Application?

Jay Butchko — Mon, 22 Jun 2026 10:00:20 +0000

The application process for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits can be daunting, especially when you have no experience seeking federal benefits or knowing how to prove your medical eligibility. You might already be aware that SSDI eligibility has two separate requirements: a medical requirement and a work history requirement. When it comes to the medical requirement and proving your eligibility, how much medical evidence do you actually need?

There is no specific answer about the number of health care providers you must see or the number of pages of medical records you must submit. Rather, you must meet the specific evidentiary requirements set forth by the Social Security Administration (SSA), and evidence can vary depending on the individual’s circumstances. Our national SSDI eligibility attorney can explain in more detail below.

Medical Evidence You Submit Must Show the Existence of an Impairment and Its Severity

In order to be medically eligible for SSDI benefits, you must be able to prove that you have an impairment that is expected either to result in your death or to last for at least one year, and it must be severe enough that it prevents you from engaging in “substantial gainful activity,” or SGA, which essentially means work.

In order to prove the existence of the impairment and its severity, the SSA clarifies that you must submit as much medical evidence as necessary to provide that proof, and it must be considered “objective medical evidence” that has come from an “acceptable medical source.” What do those latter terms mean?

Understanding “Objective Medical Evidence” and the “Acceptable Medical Source”

In general, objective medical evidence means data — it cannot solely refer to a person’s opinion. While a health care provider’s findings and diagnosis will be relevant, those findings and diagnosis must be derived from objective information and measurable data, such as physical examinations, different types of imaging such as CT scans or PET scans or MRIs or ultrasounds, and different types of lab tests such as blood tests or urine tests.

The definition of an “acceptable medical source” comes from the Code of Federal Regulations, and it means any of the types of licensed health care providers who are listed in that statute, such as licensed physicians, licensed psychologists, and many other qualified or licensed providers identified.

Contact Our National SSDI Eligibility Attorneys Today for Assistance with Your Application

When you are applying for SSDI benefits, it is extremely important to work with an attorney from the start. Even if you believe you have more than enough medical evidence to support your application and eligibility for benefits, the experienced national SSD eligibility lawyers at the Law Offices of Stephen Barszcz know what successful applications look like and can ensure that yours is as comprehensive and complete as possible. In many cases, applicants who initially apply on their own do not supply sufficient medical evidence and receive a denial, which requires going through the reconsideration process and providing additional evidence of medical eligibility. To be approved for SSDI benefits the first time around, contact our firm to get started on your application.

Sources:

ssa.gov/disability/professionals/bluebook/evidentiary.htm

ssa.gov/OP_Home/cfr20/404/404-1502.htm

Does My Health Care Provider Count as an Acceptable Medical Source?

Jay Butchko — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 10:00:09 +0000

When you think about all of the health care providers you see, you might imagine a family physician or a particular type of specialist, but you might also think about some of the providers you see who work in an area commonly considered to be “alternative medicine.” As the National Center for Biotechnology Information explains, “alternative medicine is a broad term encompassing a variety of medical modalities,” and it is an old designation that is still used to distinguish “alternative medicine” from “allopathic medicine,” with the latter referring to “Western medicine, evidence-based medicine, conventional medicine, or mainstream medicine.”

How do you know which of your providers to ask for medical evidence in support of your application and eligibility for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits? In short, your medical evidence submitted to prove eligibility for SSD benefits must come from an “acceptable medical source” as it is defined in the Code of Federal Regulations, which is the definition the Social Security Administration (SSA) uses in making SSDI determinations.

Definition of an Acceptable Medical Source

Under Section 404.1502 of the Code of Federal Regulations, an “acceptable medical source,” which you may see abbreviated as an AMS, means the following:

1) Licensed physician;
2) Licensed psychologist;
3) Licensed optometrist for impairments of visual disorders, or measurement of visual acuity and visual fields only;
4) Licensed podiatrist for impairments of the foot, or foot and ankle only;
5) Qualified speech-language pathologist for speech or language impairments only;
6) Licensed audiologist for impairments of hearing loss, auditory processing disorders, and balance disorders within the licensed scope of practice only;
7) Licensed Advanced Practice Registered Nurse for impairments within their licensed scope of practice; and
8) Licensed Physician Assistant for impaired within their licensed scope of practice.

Considering the Health Care Provider and Your Specific Impairment

As you can see, acupuncturists, chiropractors, and other practitioners of “alternative medicine” are not identified as acceptable medical sources by the Code of Federal Regulations, and thus your medical evidence for your SSDI application should not come from such a provider. Instead, it should come from one of the types of providers listed above.

In addition to your medical evidence needing to come from one of the acceptable medical sources listed above, it is also essential to link your acceptable medical source to your particular impairment. For example, even though a licensed audiologist can be an acceptable medical source, you cannot provide medical evidence of a musculoskeletal disorder from a licensed audiologist, for example.

Contact a National SSD Eligibility Attorney to Discuss Your Application and to Seek the Benefits You Need

When you are applying for SSDI benefits, it is critical to ensure that all medical evidence in your application is accurate and complete, and that your medical evidence involves an acceptable medical source as the SSA defines it. While there are many forms of alternative medicine that can be popular and can provide benefits to patients, it is essential to ensure that you are not relying on evidence from a provider who does not meet the definition of an acceptable medical source. By working on your application or any appeal with one of the experienced national SSD eligibility lawyers at the Law Offices of Stephen Barszcz, you can be sure that you will be submitting the type and amount of medical information required to prove your eligibility for disability benefits. Contact us today for help with your case.

Sources:

ssa.gov/OP_Home/cfr20/404/404-1502.htm

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK538520/