Is There A Specific Listing For Diabetes
The short answer is no. The way that the Social Security Administration views diabetes has gone through numerous changes in recent years. Diabetes used to fall under Listing of Impairments 9.08: Diabetes mellitus.
However, effective June 7th, 2011, the Social Security Administration restructured all of the listings that fall under the endocrine system. For diabetes, the Social Security Administration published the following comment on their website, We evaluate impairments that result from endocrine disorders under the listings for other body systems. In other words, because diabetes can affect other systems of the body, Social Security will evaluate the listings for those systems that are being damaged due to diabetes. The following is a sample of the systems affected by diabetes and regulated under different listings:
a. Hyperglycemia. Both types of DM cause hyperglycemia, which is an abnormally high level of blood glucose that may produce acute and long-term complications. Acute complications of hyperglycemia include diabetic ketoacidosis. Long-term complications of chronic hyperglycemia include many conditions affecting various body systems.
Consult With Our New York Disability Attorneys For Your Disability Issues
If you need further medical or vocational testing, our New York disabilitys attorneys will refer you for it. The insurance company will want to interview you and have you examined by its doctor. We will prepare you to handle these events. The disability lawyers at Riemer & Associates are committed to helping you obtain all of the benefits to which you are entitled, while making the process as stress free for you as possible. To arrange for a consultation with Riemer & Associates, phone 212.297.0700.
How Can I Get Social Security Disability For Diabetes
The Social Security Administration maintains a listing of impairments, which includes both medical and mental health conditions that are considered severe enough to prevent a person from working. Diabetes is included on this listing of impairments under endocrine disorders. While the SSA notes that both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are usually well controlled, there may be a number of reasons why a person cannot control fluctuating blood glucose levels.
Most people who qualify for SSDI and/or SSI for diabetes do so because they have been diagnosed with a disabling condition related to the disease. In other words, the SSA typically does not approve a person for disability simply for having diabetes mellitus. Instead, an applicant may qualify for SSDI and/or SSI because their diabetes caused another condition and that condition is disabling.
The key to being approved for SSDI and/or SSI for diabetes or a related condition is demonstrating how it affects your ability to work. For diabetes mellitus, this may include showing that you cannot work because of the related conditions associated with diabetes. For any of these conditions, you must meet the specific criteria set out in the listing of impairments, and provide evidence of your diagnosis, treatment history, and how your illness affects your ability to work.
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How Do I Prove Service Connection For My Type 2 Diabetes
The VA presumes service connection for type 2 diabetes if you served in Vietnam between January 9, 1962 and May 7, 1975. This is because service members who served in this area during this time period were exposed to Agent Orange, an herbicide commonly used to defoliate land in Vietnam.
If there is no presumed service connection, we must examine your medical and service records to establish a link between your type 2 diabetes and military service.
First, we must show the VA that you have a current diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, and that this diagnosis occurred during or after your military service. If your medical records show any evidence of type 2 diabetes or prediabetes before your military service started, it will make the process of getting VA benefits for the condition much more difficult.
Next, we must demonstrate a service connection to your type 2 diabetes. In other words, we must tie it to a specific event in your military service using convincing evidence.
To establish service connection, we must provide the VA with a linking medical opinion. This is a statement in which your treating physician offers a professional opinion that your current condition is due to the event in question.
Type 1 And 2 Diabetes Disability
Even if a person with diabetes is leading a healthy life and the disease is managed correctly, it can be considered a disability in certain circumstances. Diabetes has varying levels including both Type 1, Type 2, and Gestational Diabetes. Diabetes may be a type 1 or type 2 disability.
- Type 1 diabetes- This type of diabetes is more common in children and adolescents. People who have type 1 diabetes face a very low production of insulin. Hence, such people have to take insulin injections to maintain the proper level of insulin in the body.
- Type 2 diabetes- This type of diabetes accounts for almost 90% of all diabetes cases. In such cases, the body has insulin, but it does not utilize the same. If a person is suffering from Type 2 diabetes, on a case-by-case basis, they may still need to take insulin. Slight changes in lifestyle like having a healthy diet, engaging in physical activity, and a regular intake of prescribed medicines can help keep blood sugar level under check.
- Gestational Diabetes – This type mostly occurs in pregnant ladies, and mostly it disappears after the childs birth. But a few women are at higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in their lives.
In some cases, however, diabetes can lead to even more severe conditions preventing a person from leading a healthy personal and professional life. Diabetes may reduce a persons ability to work and earn a consistent income and other substantial gainful activity for an extended period of time.
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General Information About Diabetes
Diabetes is a group of diseases characterized by high blood glucose or sugar levels that result from defects in the body’s ability to produce and/or use insulin.4 Insulin is a hormone that helps the glucose enter the body’s cells to give them energy. With Type 1 diabetes, the body does not make insulin. With Type 2 diabetes, the more common type, the body does not make or use insulin well. Some women develop a type of diabetes called gestational diabetes during pregnancy when their bodies are not able to make and use all the insulin it needs, but may not have diabetes after giving birth. Without enough insulin, the glucose stays in the blood.5
Although diabetes cannot be cured, it can be managed. Some people are able to control their diabetes by eating a balanced diet, maintaining a healthy body weight, and exercising regularly. Many individuals, however, must take oral medication and/or administer insulin injections to manage their diabetes.6
With nearly two million new cases diagnosed each year, diabetes is becoming more prevalent in the United States and is the most common endocrine disease.7 Today, an estimated 18.8 million adults in the United States have diabetes.8
Resources For People With T1d
At School
There is a lot of administrative work involved in starting college or university. If you live with T1D, add one more item to the list: Registering with Student Disability Services.
I wish that I had done this when I was in school. Instead, I suffered needlessly. I often experienced severe low blood sugars before or during my exams. Rather than having extra time to recover, I would treat my low, then stare at the exam paper and wait for my brain to start functioning again. When I started to feel better, I would write feverishly, trying to finish the test before time ran out.
In an effort to avoid this experience, I sometimes went the other way: I overate before my test to ensure I wouldnt go low, only to have to contend with the brain fog, fatigue, and discomfort of an extreme high instead. All of this, of course, was completely avoidable and unnecessary.
At Work
Since 2008, diabetes has been qualified as a disability under the American With Disabilities Act, which requires employers to treat employees with disabilities fairly. Just like they do at school, people with T1D have a right to reasonable accommodations in the workplace. As the American Diabetes Association explains, reasonable accommodations might include taking breaks to treat lows, the ability to keep supplies or food nearby, and permission to sit if needed, to name just a few.
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How To Talk And Work With Your Employer
It is important to discuss any personal needs with an employer so that they can make an effort to provide reasonable accommodations for any disability.
Although a written request for accommodations is not a requirement, it is advisable, as it may help communicate the persons needs clearly and serve as a valuable written record.
Before submitting a request, an individual should check the employee handbook to see whether the employer already has a system in place for making such requests.
A person discussing disability accommodations with their employer may benefit from:
- providing documentation from a doctor with their request, as the employer has the right to request sufficient documentation of a health condition
- being clear about needs and how reasonable accommodation will better enable job performance
- being willing to work with the employer to find a solution that is beneficial
- offering a trial period for the new accommodation so that both parties can see how it will meet the need and then make adjustments as necessary
Can Diabetics Get Disability Benefits
Diabetes can eventually lead to disabling complications. The Social Security Administration uses a 5-step process to decide if you are disabled.
Step 1. Are you working?
First, the SSA looks at your work activity. If you are engaged in Substantial Gainful Activity you will not be found disabled. The amount you must earn to be working at SGA changes each year. For 2018 it is $1,180 per month if you are not blind and $1,970 per month if you are blind. If you are working, and your earnings average more than the SGA limit, then you will not be found disabled. If you are not working, or your earnings are less than SGA, the process proceeds to Step 2 where your diabetes and any other physical or mental conditions are considered.
Step 2. Is your medical condition severe?
The SSA wants to see if your medical condition significantly limits your ability to do basic work activities such as sitting standing walking lifting carrying understanding, remembering, and carrying out simple instructions making simple work-related decisions responding appropriately to supervision, co-workers, and work stress and dealing with changes in a routine work setting.
Step 3. Does your medical condition meet or equal the severity of a listing?
If none of your impairments meets or equals one of the listings, or if the duration requirement is not met, the SSA determines what youre capable of doing despite your impairments. This is your Residual Functional Capacity .
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What Is Diabetes
Diabetes mellitus more commonly referred to as diabetes is a type of endocrine disorder that affects how a persons body uses glucose . While glucose is important to our health, too much sugar in our blood can cause extensive damage and serious health problems.
There are four types of diabetes:
While there are many underlying causes of diabetes, it generally involves a person not having enough insulin to regular blood sugar. Insulin is a hormone that is secreted by the pancreas into the bloodstream. Insulin allows sugar to enter the cells of the body, which lowers the amount of sugar in the bloodstream.
In a person with diabetes, the bodys cells may become resistant to insulin, as in the case of Type 2, prediabetes, and gestational diabetes. In Type 1 diabetes, the body attacks the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, leaving an individual with little to no insulin. The end result is too much sugar in the bloodstream.
Symptoms of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes include:
- Increased thirst
How Do I Qualify
You may be able to get disability benefits if:
- You arenât able to control your diabetes.
- Serious health problems have come up because your diabetes is uncontrolled.
These problems need to be severe enough that your doctor thinks they’ll last at least a year. The Social Security Administration will decide if you qualify for benefits. That’ll depend on how these conditions affect other parts of your body.
For example, hyperglycemia can lead to something called diabetic ketoacidosis . It’s a potentially life-threatening condition where your blood sugar and acid levels are too high. It can also damage your:
- Skin infections
- Blood flow issues that can lead to amputation
At the other extreme, hypoglycemia , can lead to seizures or affect your mental state.
If any of these keep you from working like you have, and you canât hold any other job that fits your age, education, and experience, you may qualify for disability benefits.
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Social Security Disability Insurance
This is for people who have worked for five of the last 10 years and meet the Social Security Administrations definition of disability .
SSDI offers assistance to help you return to work and provides ongoing income if you do not get better. When you receive SSDI you can also qualify for Medicare and prescription drug assistance, explains the ADA.
Qualifying For Disability Benefits Based On Your Residual Functional Capacity
Even if the SSA thinks that you aren’t medically disabled under a listing, you can still qualify for benefits if you can show that no jobs exist that you can do with your current limitations. The process by which Social Security determines what you can and can’t do in a work environment is called assessing your residual functional capacity .
A typical RFC for applicants with diabetes will include limitations on how long you can sit, stand and walk for, as well as how much weight you can lift and carry. The SSA refers to these physical restrictions as your “exertional level.” You might also have “non-exertional” limitations, such as restrictions on how often you can use your hands, or how long you can concentrate.
Social Security will use your RFC to determine whether you’re currently capable of doing any of the jobs you’ve done in the past. Depending on your age and past work history, you’ll likely have to show that you can’t do an easier, less physically demanding job, such as assembling small parts. If you need to take extra breaks throughout the day to manage your blood sugar, the agency will likely find that you can’t do any jobs.
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How To Win Disability Benefits For Diabetes Mellitus Type 1 Or Type 2
May 17, 2021 By Jeremy Schooley
If you find you can no longer work because of diabetes complications, you may be entitled to long term disability benefits for either type 1 or type 2 diabetes mellitus.
What you may not realize is what it takes to prove your diabetes has caused you to be disabled. Being diagnosed with diabetes is a start, but that alone is never enough.
As disability lawyers, we represent people across the U.S. in their claims and appeals for Social Security disability, veterans compensation, or long term disability insurance benefits for diabetes. Today we explain how diabetes affects so many different body systems and why this is one key to winning your disability benefits with diabetes mellitus.
Can I Work With Diabetes
Both Type I and Type II Diabetes, as well as the other forms of diabetes, can be debilitating if not controlled. Many can and do qualify for Social Security Disability benefits because of diabetes. However, simply having diabetes does not automatically qualify you for Social Security Disability benefits. Your eligibility for Social Security Disability depends on which symptoms you have and their severity. You may also qualify for Social Security Disability benefits due to diabetes-related conditions, such as having amputated limbs or blindness.
Diabetes is a digestive disease which affects your insulin levels. Because of the imbalance in insulin, your levels of blood sugar become elevated. This causes an increase in hunger and thirst and frequent urination. A common side effect of the constant hunger associated with high blood sugar levels and diabetes is weight gain and obesity. Additional symptoms include abdominal pain, altered consciousness, vomiting, nausea, and dehydration . Nearly 3% of the worlds population suffers from some form of diabetes, making it one of the most prevalent diseases in the world.
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Diagnosis Of Diabetes Mellitus
Diabetes is diagnosed when blood sugar levels are high. Medical authorities disagree about how high glucose levels must be for the diagnosis. Normal fasting blood glucose levels are no higher than 110 mg% some authorities put the upper limit of normal at 115 mg%. It is generally agreed that a FBG of 140 mg/dL or greater on at least two separate days should be considered diagnostic of diabetes mellitus in anyone. This threshold is the gold standard for diagnosing diabetes.
The American Diabetes Association has lower plasma glucose thresholds for diagnosing diabetes. The criteria for the diagnosis of diabetes mellitus according to the recommendations of the American Diabetes Association are:
- Random plasma glucose level over 200 mg/dL in the presence of symptoms of diabetes
- A fasting plasma glucose level over 126 mg/dL
- An oral glucose tolerance test with a two hour post-load plasma glucose level over 200 mg/dL.
To establish the diagnosis of diabetes mellitus, according to the ADA, any of the above three tests must be done at least twice and on different days. However, not all endocrinologists subscribe to the ADA diagnostic criteria.
Some individuals are diagnosed as having pre-diabetes. The diagnosis is based on glucose levels that are higher than normal, but below the thresholds for diagnosing diabetes. Millions of Americans are pre-diabetic and have increased risk of strokes, peripheral vascular disease, heart attacks, and diabetes.