 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 Parkinson's Disease and Filing for DisabilityHow to prove you are disabled and win disability benefits 1. Doctors are aware that some of the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease are caused by a lack of dopamine in the brain, though they aren’t aware of what causes this lack of dopamine. Some think that is could be due to environmental toxins, and others propose that it could be due to genetic mutations. 2. Since the true cause of Parkinson’s disease is unknown, risk factors are not exactly known, though they are currently being over 50 (young adults rarely develop Parkinson’s disease), having a family history of the disease, and being exposed to environmental toxins. 3. Men are more likely to develop Parkinson’s disease than women. 4. Symptoms of Parkinson’s disease can range from tremor or shaking, shuffling while walking, slowed movements, and stiff muscles, to stooped posture, problems speaking, and a decrease or loss of movements that happen automatically, such as blinking, facial expressions, moving hands while speaking, or movements of the arms while walking. In later stages, dementia may set in. 5. Other medical issues may accompany Parkinson’s disease, such as constipation and urinary issues, depression, lack of sex drive, sleep related issues, and problems chewing food and swallowing. 6. There are many medications that are used to treat Parkinson’s disease. They include: antivirals, anticholinergics, dopamine agonists, MAO B inhibitors, Levodopa, and COMT (Catechol O methyltransferase) inhibitors. Physical therapy and surgery are also used for treatment. The most common surgery is deep brain stimulation. 7. There are also many lifestyle choices and complementary and alternative choices that can help relieve risks and symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. First and foremost, be careful, slow, and deliberate with movements (walking, dressing, etc.) to avoid falls and accidents. Yoga, Tai Chi, and even massage are also very well known to help relax the body and keep muscles and joints soft and flexible. Also, supplementing the diet with coenzyme Q10 and fiber can be beneficial. 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 |