 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 Myasthenia Gravis and Filing for DisabilityHow to prove you are disabled and win disability benefits 1) Myasthenia gravis affects the voluntary muscles of the body, also known as the skeletal muscles. It is a chronic neuromuscular disease, and is also an autoimmune disorder. 2) Myasthenia gravis is most common in men over the age of 60 and women under the age of 40, although it can develop in any sex at any age. 3) The most common sign of myasthenia gravis is a weakening of the muscles, especially in the arms and legs, eyes, and face. Many times those with the disease will have trouble talking, chewing or swallowing and may have drooping eyelids, double or blurred vision, breathing issues, and have problems controlling facial expressions, causing them to a droopy expression. 4) It is not a very common autoimmune disease and only affects about one or two people out of every 10,000. 5) Muscle weakness due to myasthenia gravis usually improves after periods of inactivity and rest, and gets worse during periods of activity and movement. 6) Myasthnia gravis is caused by antibodies destroying or blocking the muscles receptor sites for neurotransmitters, which cause less nerve signals to reach the muscles, resulting in muscle weakness. 7) Researchers have found that many adults with the disease have unusually large thymus glands, and some have thymus tumors. It is thought that the thymus gland may be responsible for producing the antibodies that that block and destroy the receptor sites. 8) Myasthenia gravis can be made worse by certain illnesses, high levels of stress, persistent fatigue, intense heat, and certain medications. 9) Lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes type 1, and thyroid diseases are all associated with myasthenia gravis, including Graves disease and Hashimoto’s disease. 10) Medications to help reduce the autoimmune process and improve muscle function, such as immunosuppressants and cholinesterase inhibitors, are used to help treat the myasthenia gravis. Surgery to remove the thymus, otherwise known as thymectomy, is sometimes needed. 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 |