Having Lupus Is Not Enough to Get Social Security Disability

By Thomas Greer | August 17, 2015

Memphis Social Security Disability LawyersThe autoimmune disease lupus affects up to 1.5 million people in the U.S. It is also listed in the Social Security Administration’s “blue book,” which means that the SSA recognizes that some people will be so affected by the disease that they may eventually be unable to work. However, being diagnosed with lupus is not enough when it comes to collecting benefits. Under SSA guidelines:

  1. A person diagnosed with lupus must have two or more organs or systems affected by the disease “to at least a moderate level of severity,” and must be experiencing at least two of the symptoms normally associated with the condition, such as fatigue, weight loss, malaise or fever; or,
  2. A person exhibiting the symptoms of lupus must experience limitations in his or her daily life, how he or she functions in public, and how he or she is able to complete tasks; and,
  3. A person with a diagnosis of lupus whose systems/organs are affected, and who is exhibiting the symptoms of the disease and having difficulties going through the everyday motions of life must also be unable to work because of those symptoms or limitations.

This last part – being unable to work – is the most important part in terms of collecting Social Security Disability, because there is no set rule that you must do the same work that you did before the symptoms set in. You must also be able to prove to the SSA that what you are experiencing is medically linked to your lupus diagnosis. In order to have the best chance of obtaining benefits, you should keep up-to-date medical records on file with both your SSD attorney and the SSA, as proof that you are seeking ongoing support and treatment. If you have been diagnosed with lupus, and the effects of the disease are severe and chronic, rendering you unable to work, you have a good chance at being granted Social Security Disability benefits.

At Bailey & Greer, PLLC, we help people just like you get the benefits they need to survive. If you need help with your Disability application, or if you wish to appeal a decision, please contact us. We keep offices in Memphis, Jackson and Nashville, and will travel to you if you are too unwell to come to us.

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