JENKINTOWN PERSONAL INJURY ATTORNEYS

Most Pennsylvanians who apply for Social Security disability (SSDI) are not aware of the criteria that the Social Security Administration (SSA) uses to determine if an applicant is disabled. In fact, in many cases, the criteria are outlined in a listing of impairments known as the “Blue Book”. The blue book includes two main parts:

Part A – Adult disability assessments

Part B – Childhood disability assessments

Part A contains a listing of the most common medical conditions that are severe enough to keep an applicant from working. The disabilities are divided into 14 sections:

1. Musculoskeletal system: Injuries to the bone or muscle, including back injuries and joint injuries
2. Special senses and speech: Disabilities that affect hearing, vision, or the ability to speak
3. Respiratory system: Problems with breathing, including asthma, lung infections, sleep apnea, and cystic fibrosis
4. Cardiovascular system: Any impairment of the heart or the circulatory system, including high blood pressure
5. Digestive system: A variety of disabilities that affect the ability to digest food and receive nutrients, including liver impairment, inflammatory bowel disease, and malnutrition
6. Genitourinary impairments: Disabilities related to kidney disease
7. Hematological disorders: diseases of the blood, including anemia, sickle cell disease, and hemophilia
8. Skin disorders: Diseases and injuries to the skin, including infections and burns
9. Endocrine disorders: Diseases caused by hormone imbalances, includes diabetes
10. Congenital disorders that affect multiple body systems: This listing includes only Non-mosaic Down’s Syndrome
11. Neurological disorders: Diseases of the nervous system, including epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, and others
12. Mental disorders: A broad category that includes schizophrenia, anxiety-related disorders, depression, substance addiction, autism, and intellectual disability
13. Malignant neoplastic diseases: Cancer, except those related to HIV
14. Immune system disorders: Diseases of the immune system such as lupus, scleroderma, and HIV

If your symptoms and test results match the requirements of a Blue Book listing, you will automatically qualify for SSDI if you meet eligibility requirements. If your condition is included in the listings, but your symptoms do not match, it is up to you to show that the severity of your symptoms is equal to that of the listing. You may need to ask your doctor to perform medical tests.

Not all medical conditions are listed in the Blue Book; that would be impossible. If your impairment is not included in the listings, you will need to show that your disability is equivalent in severity to a similar listing. If there is no similar listing, you must document how your symptoms prevent you from working.

This sounds difficult, and it can be, but you don’t have to do it alone. Our Philadelphia Social Security benefits lawyers can help. Contact Mednick, Mezyk, and Kredo at 888-807-WORK to schedule a free consultation.