Those who suffer from frequent seizures will often feel like they have a disabling condition that makes the very simplest tasks in life seem impossible. If you have frequent seizures you may find it difficult to get a drivers license, hold employment or take on other active roles within your community. Seizures and conditions like epilepsy can lead to other disorders like depression and anxiety, due to the disabling effect they have on people. While some people who suffer from seizures will qualify for SSI and SDI social security benefits, many others will be unsuccessful in their claim.
What kind of Seizures Qualify for SSI and SDI Social Security Benefits?
It is not so much the cause of the seizure that social security will examine in your claim, but rather the severity and frequency of the seizures. The first condition that must be met in a successful claim is that the applicant suffers from a minimum number of seizures each month. Convulsive epilepsy must involve a seizure at least once a month for three consecutive months. If seizures occur during nighttime then their must be conclusive evidence that they impede on daytime activities such as work. Non-convulsive epilepsy must involve seizures occurring more frequently than once per week, for three consecutive months. Non-convulsive seizures must also involve the individual becoming unconscious during the seizure, or the seizure having a severe impact on their awareness during and after the attack.
In both kinds of epilepsy, convulsive and non-convulsive, the applicant must have attempted treatment and followed the management plan of a medical practitioner for three months and still be suffering from seizures. This means you have to be in treatment, and compliant with taking your prescriptions as directed. The two major reasons that social security will deny a claim is that the seizures are not frequent enough, or that the patient has not gone through with the treatment as prescribed by a medical practitioner.
Keeping Accurate Records May Help Win Your Claim
It is very important to keep medical records, or even your own written diary of any seizures you have had to document frequency. If possible, an ECG of a seizure can form a very important part of your disability claim. You must also be ready to show that you have effectively followed medical treatment advice, taking medication and doing anything else your doctor has suggested to help alleviate the seizures. If you are not compliant with taking your medicine your claim could be denied.
Social Security will also investigate how a seizure will affect the applicant afterwards. To do so they will require medical documentation of the aftermath of a seizure. For this reason it is important that you see a doctor after you have had a seizure, even if you feel fine. These medical records may be integral to your disability claim, and could make the difference between winning and losing disability benefits.
Previous post: Get a Fresh Start with SSI
Next post: PTSD Symptoms & Treatment Options
