causalitylabs.net

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Social Security Disability: Determining the Strength of Your Possible MS Disability Claim

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is a federal program designed to pay monetary benefits to qualified applicants who have worked long enough and paid their social security taxes. Based on medical evidence, work history, and education history, the Social Security Administration determines whether or not applicants qualify for benefits and how much each applicant can receive. Here, we will discuss how those who suffer from multiple sclerosis, or MS, may qualify for disability benefits.

Multiple Sclerosis: The Facts

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic disease that attacks the components of the central nervous system (CNS), such as the brain and the spinal cord. Today, over 400,000 people in the U. S. and over 2.5 million people worldwide are suffering from MS. The symptoms caused by this constant attack of the CNS can range from mild numbness and tingling to paralysis and loss of vision. Because MS is an autoimmune disease, meaning that the immune system is attacking normal body components, the severity and the dynamics of these symptoms are unpredictable and vary from person to person. Some of the more common symptoms of MS include fatigue; numbness; balance and coordination problems; bladder dysfunction; vision problems; dizziness and vertigo; sexual dysfunction; pain, cognitive dysfunction (i.e. loss of memory); emotional changes; depression; and spasticity.

Treating Multiple Sclerosis

Today, there is no cure for MS. However, doctors may prescribe medications to help manage symptoms and possibly modify the course of the disease to attempt to improve one’s quality of life while living with the disease. There are a variety of medications that may be prescribed by a physician to treat MS, and some of the side effects of these medications can limit one’s ability to function. Some of these side effects include flu-like symptoms; depression, sadness and anxiety; eating and sleeping disturbances; poor concentration and confusion; nausea and stomach pain; painful, swollen joints; shortness of breath; and headache.

Multiple Sclerosis and Disability Benefits

The degree to which MS impairs an individual varies from person to person. Therefore, the Social Security Administration has developed specific criteria, setting their standard by which those who suffer from MS may qualify for benefits. These criteria include the following: disorganization of motor function; visual or mental impairment; AND significant, reproducible fatigue of motor function with substantial muscle weakness on repetitive activity, demonstrated on physical examination, resulting from neurological dysfunction in areas of the central nervous system known to be pathologically involved by the multiple sclerosis process.

These criteria are addressed in much more detail by the Social Security Administration (SSA). However, keep in mind that the MS symptoms which meet the criteria for receipt of benefits may develop as a result of the disease process and/or the medications prescribed and used to treat the disease.

The medical evidence supporting one’s argument that he or she may meet these criteria, and therefore qualify for disability benefits, is crucial to obtaining a favorable finding in a MS Disability case. Physicians are considered experts in their field of practice, and their diagnosis, treatment and prognosis concerning a person’s condition are key to determining if someone who suffers with MS qualifies for Social Security Disability benefits.