Does a Back Injury Qualify You for Social Security Disability Benefits?
Posted on Monday, August 10th, 2015 at 2:40 pm
A spinal disorder can cause chronic back pain and limited mobility. Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati residents with a spinal disorder may be eligible for disability benefits. Figuring out whether your back pain qualifies you for social security disability requires a multi-step process. The most important step is the determination of whether or not your back pain meets a “listing” as determined by the Social Security Administration.
What Are the Most Common Back and Spine Conditions that Lead to Disability?
In the Greater Cincinnati area, the most common spine disorder diagnoses that lead to back pain are:
- Osteoarthritis
- Degenerative disc disease
- Herniated Discs
- Osteoporosis
- Tumor
- Arachnoiditis
- Sprain or strain
- Spondylolisthesis
- Spinal stenosis (narrowing of the canals through which nerve roots travel)
- Scoliosis (abnormal curvature of the spine)
- Kyphosis
- Osteomyelitis (bony growths on the spine)
Northern Kentucky residents with one of these conditions should keep in mind that many of them are the natural process of aging, so there is no need to prove that you were hurt in an accident in order to get disability benefits. Also, bear in mind that the condition causing your pain has to show that the condition and its debilitating symptoms are going to last more than one year. Thus, a lumbar sprain is less likely than a herniated disc to result in disability benefits. Sprains resolve over time, while herniated discs do not. If you have one of these conditions, please call Lawrence & Associates Accident and Injury Lawyers, LLC’ Northern Kentucky office or read more from this resource.
How Can an Attorney Help Me Get Disability for Back Pain?
There are three main ways that an attorney can help get disability. The first is by proving that you meet a listing for spine disorders under the Social Security Administration’s regulations. If you do, then you get benefits. Meeting a listing usually is not straightforward, and requires interpretation of both your medical records and the applicable law.
If you do not qualify for a listing, you can still get benefits if your residual functional capacity. Again, this requires a medical, and sometimes an expert, opinion that is best solicited from a doctor or vocational expert and filed by an attorney. It also requires an in-depth knowledge of the rules and regulations promulgated by the Social Security Administration, and it is best to have an experienced attorney research and argue these issues to the Administrative Law Judge.
At Lawrence & Associates Accident and Injury Lawyers, LLC, we help Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati residents just like you get disability every day. We are Working Hard for the Working Class, and we can help you. Call us today!
