Sickle Cell and Social Security Disability Benefits

Chicago Social Security Disability Benefits Law Firm

Can I Get Social Security Disability Benefits If I Suffer From Sickle Cell?

Sickle cell is absolutely recognized by the Social Security Administration! If sickle cell is preventing you from working for at least 12 months, you may qualify for Social Security disability benefits (whether SSDI or SSI). When you apply for disability benefits with sickle cell, the Social Security Administration will first determine whether your condition is severe enough to meet or equal Listing 7.05. If you meet or equal the listing, you will be found to be medically disabled. If you do not meet the listing, Social Security will then evaluate your residual functional capacity (the most work that you can do despite your medical condition(s)) and determine whether you are entitled to disability benefits.

Is There A Specific Listing For Sickle Cell?

Social Security recognizes sickle cell under Listing of Impairments 7.05: Sickle Cell Disease, or one of its variants., which can be found on the Social Security Administration website. However, because most of the listing is structured using medical terminology, it can be quite difficult to know whether you will meet the listing, this is especially true if you do not know how to interpret a blood test. If you or a family member suffers from sickle cell and are unable to work and want to know more about whether you might qualify for Social Security disability benefits (either SSDI or SSI), contact Pearson Disability Law, LLC at 312-999-0999 for a free consultation.

If I Do Not Meet The Listing, Is There Another Way To Get Social Security Disability Benefits?

If you do not meet Listing 7.05 and sickle cell is preventing you from working, you may still qualify for Social Security disability benefits.

The Social Security Administration will proceed with your case by evaluating your Residual Functional Capacity. To do this, the Administration will determine the most amount of work that you can do despite your limitations. They do this by dividing “work” into four different categories: heavy, medium, light, and sedentary. It is worth noting that there is sometimes a fifth category that is recognized for very heavy work; however, very heavy work is scarcely used. Whether a claimant wins his or her disability claim is greatly affected by which category he or she is ultimately put into. Being put into a lower category increases the likelihood that a claim is approved for Social Security disability benefits.

Fortunately, claimants with sickle cell who do not meet the listing still have a good chance at winning Social Security disability benefits. This is because many claimants have recurrent crisis that require a number of days either in bed or in the hospital. Depending on how recurrent one’s crises are, this could be grounds for proving that he or she would be unable to hold down any full-time employment. If you suffer from sickle cell and have recurrent crises, make sure to keep track of the amount of time you spend either in bed or at the hospital, as this could make the difference between winning or losing your disability benefits claim.