Listing of Impairments, or Disabling Conditions, Qualifying for Disability Benefits
Probably the most common disabling conditions involve the back, both acute and chronic. Back and other skeletal conditions impair the ability to walk, lift, sit, etc., and they are also usually painful. The list of disabling conditions that might qualify one for benefits is extensive. We offer a few guidelines for your convenience.
If you are suffering from an impairment that affects your ability to work, call Houston’s most trusted disability attorney at Herren Law. We will walk you through the application process, and if required, we will represent your interests in court. Call us today at (713) 682-8194.
Common Disability Impairments
Arthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis According to the Arthritis Foundation (www.arthritis.org) more than 27 million people are affected by Osteoarthritis and another 1.3 million people live with rheumatoid arthritis.
Fibromyalgia, also know as FMS (fibromyalgia syndrome) causes widespread pain in the soft tissues and severe, debilitating fatigue. The most common symptom of fibromyalgia is deep muscular pains that may present as throbbing, shooting, stabbing or burning.
Immune System Diseases Disorders of the immune system may prevent gainful activity because of a serious loss of function of a single organ or body system, or lesser degrees of functional loss of two or more organs/body systems resulting in significant symptoms such as severe fatigue, fever, malaise, weight loss, joint pain and stiffness. These conditions generally evolve and persist for extended periods and may require long-term, repeated evaluation and management.
Lupus Lupus is a chronic auto-immune disease in which the immune system becomes hyperactive and attacks normal tissue, resulting in inflammation and other symptoms. The cause is unknown.
Mental Disorders Disorders of the mind are complex and fall into several categories with different characteristics of qualifying for disability.
Organic mental disorders
Schizophrenic, paranoid and other psychotic disorders
Affective disorders
Anxiety-related disorders
Somatoform disorders
Personality disorders
Autistic disorders
Mental retardation disorders
Substance addiction disorders
Musculoskeletal Impairment Disorders of the musculoskeletal system may result from hereditary, congenital, or acquired pathologic processes. Impairments may result from infectious, inflammatory, or degenerative processes, traumatic or developmental events, or neoplastic, vascular, or toxic/metabolic diseases.
Organic Mental Disorders Organic mental disorders are psychological or behavioral abnormalities associated with a dysfunction of the brain
Personality Disorders Personality disorders exist when personality traits are inflexible and maladaptive and cause either significant impairment in social or occupational functioning or subjective distress.
Schizophrenic, Paranoid and Other Psychotic Disorders Schizophrenic, paranoid and other psychotic disorders are characterized by the onset of psychotic features with deterioration from a previous level of functioning.
Visual Impairments Disorders of the eye are complex and fall into several categories with different characteristics of qualifying for disability.
Cataracts Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness worldwide. Approximately 20.5 million Americans age 40 and older have cataracts. More than half of all Americans develop cataracts by age 80.
Diabetic Retinopathy People with diabetes often develop eye problems. Diabetes is a disease that occurs when the pancreas does not secrete enough insulin (the hormone that regulates the level of blood sugar) or the body is unable to process it properly.
Glaucoma Both cataracts and glaucoma can be a natural part of the aging process. Many people over 60 may have both, but the two conditions are not related. Glaucoma does not cause cataracts and cataracts do not cause glaucoma. Both cataracts and glaucoma are serious conditions that can cause vision loss. However, loss of vision due to cataracts can be reversed with surgery. Loss of vision from glaucoma is irreversible.
Macular Degeneration Macular degeneration is an incurable eye disease that is the leading cause of blindness in the United States. Macular degeneration affects more Americans than cataracts and glaucoma combined.
