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Facts about Wolff-Parkinson-White and Filing for DisabilityHow to prove you are disabled and win disability benefits 1. Wolff-Parkinson-White, or WPW, syndrome is a congenital heart condition. Those with WPW syndrome are born with this condition, in which the heart contains an additional electrical pathway. Electrical pathways in the heart are the mechanism that controls heart beat. Having this extra pathway leads to tachycardia, a condition of very fast heartbeat. 2. Tachycardia, the primary symptom of WPW syndrome, typically begins when the affected individual reaches his or her teens or early 20s. However, infants and young children with WPW syndrome have been known to show fast heartbeat as well. 3. Other symptoms of WPW syndrome are related to the effects of tachycardia. These include heart palpitations, feeling dizzy or light headed and fainting, tiring easily, and anxiety. 4. Infants have different symptoms. Infants may show difficulty breathing (shortness of breath), may not eat enough, may be inactive or not alert. In some cases, fast heartbeat can be seen on the baby’s chest. 5. An individual is more likely to have Wolff-Parkinson-White pattern, a similar condition in which an extra electrical pathway is present but there are no symptoms. 6. Most people with WPW syndrome take medication to control symptoms and experience no problems. However, some people may experience complications, particularly if WPW syndrome goes untreated. WPW syndrome can potentially cause low blood pressure, fainting, heart failure and even sudden death. 7. Treatment of WPW syndrome focuses on controlling episodes of fast heart rate, or preventing them altogether. This is achieved through movement, oral medication and sometimes surgical procedures. 8. Caffeine, tobacco, alcohol and the decongestant medication pseudoephedrine all increase heart rate, so it is good for those with WPW syndrome to avoid these. 9. A number of famous people, including sports players, have publicized the fact that they have WPW syndrome. These people demonstrate that with proper treatment, those WPW syndrome can live lives that are more active than the average person. 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 |