 SSDRC Filing a Social Security Disability Application - How to File & the Information that is Needed by SSA Do you need a Lawyer at the Administrative Law Judge Disability Hearing? Social Security Disability Back pay and How Long it Takes to Qualify for it How do you prove your disability case if you have a mental condition? What Can I Do to Improve My Chances of Winning Disability Benefits Common Mistakes after Receiving a Denial of benefits If You Get Approved For SSDI Will You Also Get Medicare? How much is paid for the Social Security Disability Attorney Fee? How long does it take to be approved for SSI or Social Security disability? How To Get Disability Through SSDI or SSI Approved Should you get Help from a Disability Attorney before the Claim has been Denied? Answers to questions about SSD and SSI disability Qualifying for Disability - What is Social Security Looking for? How do I check the status of my Social Security disability claim? What Expenses Will A Social Security Attorney Charge In Addition To The Fee? |
Facts about Blepharospasm and Filing for DisabilityHow to prove you are disabled and win disability benefits 1. The name blepharospasm explains this rare condition well; in Greek blepharo means eyelid, so blepharospasm literally means a ‘spasm of the eyelid. ‘ 2. Blepharospasm is usually harmless, but bothersome, as the condition causes uncontrollable twitching in the eyelids and around the eyes. 3. Symptoms of blepharospasm can be mild, lasting only a few days, but are often long-term and more severe. 4. In the most severe cases of blepharospasm, the eyelids close for periods of time and won’t open, causing functional blindness. 5. Symptoms include dry eyes and sensitivity to light, which often leads to misdiagnosis early on. More severe symptoms include muscle spasms around the eyes and in the face, sometimes down into the neck. Another more severe symptom is abnormal blinking, where blinking either occurs too frequently or the eyelids close for longer than a normal blink. 6. Early diagnosis is improving, but the rarity of the condition and the mild onset of symptoms often lead to misdiagnosis as dry eye syndrome or simply allergies. 7. It is unknown what causes blepharospasm, although there are indicators that certain factors seem to induce the condition. Long term stress, anxiety conditions, and fatigue can all cause blepharospasm. Hormone replacement medications, medications for Parkinson’s disease and benzodiazepine drugs (such as Valium) can cause the onset of blepharospasm symptoms. Damage to or abnormal function of the basal ganglia in the brain, such as due to head injury, can cause blepharospasm to develop. 8. Treatment for blepharospasm is varied and does not work for all patients. Medications require an individualized treatment plan, and may take some time to discover what works for the patient. Magnesium chloride has worked for some patients. Botox injections works best for most patients, as it paralyzes the muscles around the eyes to stop them from twitching. Surgery to remove some of the muscles that control eyelid closure is an option for patients who do not find relief from other methods such as Botox. Can you qualify for disability benefits with this condition? Whether or not you qualify for disability and, as a result, are approved for disability benefits will depend entirely on the information obtained from your medical records. This includes whatever statements may have been obtained from your treating physician (a doctor who has a history of treating your condition and is, therefore, qualified to comment as to your condition and prognosis). It will also depend on the information obtained from your vocational, or work, history if you are an adult, or academic records if you are a minor-age child. The important thing to keep in mind is that the social security administration does not award benefits based on simply having a condition, but, instead, will base an approval or denial on the extent to which a condition causes functional limitations. Functional limitations can be great enough to make work activity not possible (or, for a child, make it impossible to engage in age-appropriate activities). Why are so many disability cases lost at the disability application and reconsideration appeal levels? Speaking as a former Disability Claims Examiner, I can state that there are several reasons: 1) Social Security makes no attempt to obtain a statement from a claimant's treating physician. By contrast, at the hearing level, a claimant and his or her disability attorney will generally obtain and present this type of statement to a judge; 2) Prior to the hearing level, a claimant will not have the opportunity to explain how their condition limits them, nor will their attorney or representative have the opportunity to make a presentation based on the evidence of the case. At the hearing level, of course, this is exactly what happens. And a number of disability representatives will also take such steps even earlier, at the reconsideration appeal level; 3) Disability judges, unlike disability examiners who decides cases at the first two levels of the system, can make independent decisions without being overturned by immediate supervisors--which happens frequently. 
Return to: SSDRC, or the Questions, Answers, Tips, and Advice page Topics and Questions Other Links SSD and SSI are Federal Programs The title II Social Security Disability and title 16 SSI Disability programs operate under federal guidelines and, therefore, the program requirements--medical and non-medical--apply to all states: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming Recent approval and denial statistics for various states can be viewed here: Social Security Disability, SSI Approval and Denial Statistics by state Special Section: Disability Lawyers and unnecessary claim denials |