The US Social Security Administration (SSA) offers disability benefits to provide monthly monetary assistance to individuals suffering from a disability under two key programs, the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs.
SSDI is a monthly payment for individuals who have worked earlier, have paid into Social Security by paying taxes as required, and are now unable to work for at least a year or more due to their disability.
The SSI program offers monthly payments to the disabled regardless of their previous employment history. Eligibility for this program is based on income levels.
Eligibility Criteria
The rules SSA uses in determining if someone is disabled or not are the same under both programs, but some people can qualify for just one or both, based on the above criteria. By definition, a person will be considered disabled if he/she has a residual functional capacity that is so reduced due to a medical condition’s limitations that the claimant is unable to work. Such medical impairments must either be terminal or be expected to remain for at least 12 months.
Key Physical Disabilities
There are a vast number of physical disabilities that come under the gamut of eligibility criteria for the Social Security disability program.
The following are some, not all, physical disabilities in broad categories:
1) Visual disabilities – This category of disability will generally require treatment. Visual impairments include:
i) Blurred vision
ii) Blindness
iii) Cataract
iv) Color blindness
2) Auto-immune disorders – This category of disorders generally bring the entire body mechanism under an attack and can consequently cause a severe degree of physical damage. The main auto-immune disorders are:
i) Systemic Lupus Erythmatosus
ii) Multiple Sclerosis
3) Hearing-related impairments – By impairing an individual’s capacity to hear, these impairments limit a person’s ability to function professionally and to some extent, perform daily life activities.
i) Meniere’s Disease
ii) Hearing Loss
iii) Tinnitus
iv) Inner ear problems
4) Mobility impairment – These disabilities can either be present at birth or can be gradually acquired by the effected person.
i) Multiple sclerosis
ii) Parkinson’s disease
iii) Duchenne muscular dystrophy
iv) Stroke
v) Cerebral Palsy
vi) Arthritis
5) Chronic disorders – These are long-term chronic illnesses that are quite often fatal in nature and often make an applicant eligible for Social Security Disability benefits. The main disorders could include:
i) Cancer
ii) Asthma
iii) Diabetes
iv) Hypoglycemia
v) HIV Aids
vi) Tuberculosis
vii) Renal Failure
5) Other disorders – These impairments are usually classified as physical disabilities, and when present at a severe level they often prevent the claimant from working. These impairments can often make a claimant eligible for disability benefits.
i) Alzheimer’s
ii) Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
iii) Hepatitis
iv) Bronchitis
v) Cystic Fibrosis
vi) Joint problems
vii) Repetitive Stress Injury (RSI)
viii) Headaches/Migraines
ix) Seizures
x) Fibromyalgia
Conclusion
The above-named conditions cover many conditions but these are not all possible conditions, there are certainly others that can also be physical impairments that would make someone disabled. Not everyone with a severe impairment is going to be declared disabled and eligible for benefits under the SSDI and SSI programs, but if your condition meets the required levels you could be eligible.
