Sometimes the state of our health stops us from earning a living and living our lives to the fullest. Sometimes the illness can be something we can overcome, but sometimes it gives us chronic pain and debilitates us for life. For many people, these situations prevent them from finding a job or creating a career.
If you are having a hard time getting a job because of your medical condition, you can apply for disability benefits. The SSI or Social Security Disability Insurance program is designed to provide funds for physically restricted people who cannot work because of a severe condition or disability.
Getting into these programs is a lengthy process, and it is crucial to get a proper diagnosis from a doctor as soon as you can to shorten the process. You can ask for guidance from organizations that dispense disability benefits or help individuals receive them. The following are the different medical conditions and disabilities that qualify an individual for the Social Security Disability Insurance program.
Disorders of the Musculoskeletal System
You can qualify for the SSI program if you have disorders or conditions related to the musculoskeletal system, which affects your muscle and skeletal system, resulting from hereditary, congenital, or acquired means. Diseases in this category include herniated discs and degenerative disc disease.
Digestive System Disorders
Regarding digestive tract problems, the six main illnesses that automatically qualify you for the SSDI are chronic liver disease, gastrointestinal hemorrhaging, IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease), liver transplants, short bowel syndrome, and weight loss from digestive disorders.
Neurological Illnesses
Neurological disorders are not limited to the brain; they can occur anywhere in the person’s central nervous system, including the peripheral nervous system and the spinal cord. SSA provides disability benefits for severe cases of Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, and other nerve-based conditions. They also validate central nervous system vascular accidents and lesions on the spinal cord or nerve roots.
Mental Disorders
People are only now taking mental illnesses seriously, and you can qualify for the SSDI if you have affective disorders, anxiety disorders, autism, and other related disorders. However, the disability listings are stringent and will only provide help if the mental disorders are considered disabling. But if you can prove that you cannot do a simple job because of brain-related issues, you can get disability benefits.
Respiratory System Problems
Respiratory-related illnesses are the most common disability that most people have and the reason people apply for disability benefits. The SSA provides the SSDI based on breathing tests with people with COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) illnesses like bronchitis, emphysema, and asthma. They also validate hereditary respiratory conditions such as cystic fibrosis, sleep-related disorders like sleep apnea, and respiratory-related cancers like mesothelioma.
Skin Disorders
The SSA only validates skin conditions that can become disabling, such as ichthyosis, bullous disease, dermatitis, and other chronic skin infections. Common skin conditions like impetigo are not in the official listing of impairments as they are never disabling.
Immunodeficiency Conditions
The SSA provides disability benefits to people with immune system disorders that cause their health to decline rapidly. The immunodeficiency diseases that SSA validates for the disability benefits are HIV infection, Hashimoto’s disease, multiple sclerosis, myasthenia gravis, and psoriasis.
These medical disabilities and conditions are officially under the Social Security Administration’s blue book, which lists the physical and mental impairments that automatically qualify you for their Social Security disability benefits.