Sickle Cell Disease and SSDI Payments

If you are currently dealing with debilitating effects of sickle cell disease or its complications, you could be eligible for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits. The Social Security Administration, or SSA, handles SSDI claims and approves applications when a person meets the work requirements and the medical requirements. For work requirements, you must have worked long enough and recently enough to have enough credits for eligibility (most people who have worked on a full-time basis will qualify). For the medical requirement, you must be able to show that your condition is expected to last for at least one year or to result in death, and it must prevent you from engaging in meaningful work, or what the SSA defines as “substantial gainful activity.”

Given that the effects and complications of sickle cell disease can vary among patients, how can you know if you will qualify for SSDI benefits? Consider the following information from our national disability benefits lawyer.

What is Sickle Cell Disease?

What is sickle cell disease and how does it affect a person’s physical and mental well-being? According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), sickle cell disease, which is also known as sickle cell anemia, “is a group of inherited disorders that affect hemoglobin, the major protein that carries oxygen in red blood cells.” With this disease, a person’s red blood cells become misshaped, or sickle-shaped, thus the name of the disease. When this occurs, a person’s red blood cells “do not bend or move easily and can block blood flow to the red of the body.”

Sickle cell disease can result in a range of symptoms and complications, including but not limited to:

• Pain crises, which is the term for a sudden onset of severe pain due to the person’s blood flow being blocked;
• Chronic pain;
• Stroke;
• Lung problems;
• Eye problems;
• Kidney disease; and
• Infections.

Sickle Cell Disease is Identified as a Hematological Disorder in the Blue Book

The SSA relies on the “Blue Book,” which is a multi-section document of conditions that can qualify a person for SSDI benefits. A condition being listed in the Blue Book does not automatically mean that a person with that condition is eligible for benefits, but it does mean that a person with the condition may be eligible.

According to the Blue Book, a person with sickle cell disease or other hemolytic anemias can be eligible for SSDI if they require regular hospitalization, multiple pain crises within one year, or other symptoms. The Blue Book provides specifics, and a disability benefits lawyer can tell you more based on the details of your medical records.

Contact Our National Disability Benefits Attorneys Today for Help with Your Case

Are you dealing with the debilitating consequences of sickle cell disease and hoping to be eligible for SSDI payments? A person with sickle cell disease may be able to obtain SSDI benefits, depending on the severity of the condition, the manner in which they experience it, and whether it has resulted in significant complications. When you are dealing with debilitating effects of sickle cell disease, it is important to seek legal advice about your SSDI eligibility and to receive assistance with your application. One of the experienced national SSDI benefits lawyers at the Law Offices of Stephen Barszcz can discuss the details of your medical condition with you today, and we can work with you on your SSDI application or appeal. Contact our firm for more information.

Sources:

ssa.gov/disability/professionals/bluebook/7.00-HematologicalDisorders-Adult.htm

nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sickle-cell-disease