The ability to perform activities commonly associated with working can be impaired by arthritis and joint pain. Walking, standing, or using the hands and fingers may become increasingly difficult until a person can no longer work and earn a living.
Social Security administers two programs that pay arthritis disability benefits to individuals unable to work due to arthritis and joint pain. The monthly benefit payments through the Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income programs can ease the financial burdens and uncertainty when the symptoms and complications of arthritis and joint pain become severe enough to keep you from earning a living.
The Clauson Law Firm's disability attorneys understand the complexity of the process and recognize that it can be overwhelming for claimants navigating the system on their own. That is why Clauson Law makes its experience, knowledge, and skills available to individuals in need of disability benefits, whether in North Carolina or nationwide.
When it evaluates claims for disability benefits through the SSDI or SSI programs, the Social Security Administration evaluates the extent to which a medical condition affects a person’s ability to continue to engage in work activity. The evaluation process relies on a definition of disability.
The definition of disability used by Social Security excludes conditions that cause only partial or temporary inability to work. According to the federal definition, a person is disabled when they are unable to engage in substantial gainful work activity due to a medically determinable physical or mental impairment, or a combination of impairments. The impairment must be expected to result in death, must have lasted for 12 continuous months, or must be expected to last for at least 12 months.
Depending on the extent to which they affect the ability of a person to engage in work activities, the following conditions may satisfy the standard for arthritis and joint pain SSD claims:
· Osteoarthritis: Also frequently referred to as “degenerative joint disease,” osteoarthritis is a breakdown of cartilage in a joint caused by wear and tear. It can cause changes in the underlying bone that lead to stiffness, swelling, pain, and reduced flexibility or range of motion.
· Rheumatoid arthritis: An autoimmune arthritis causing swelling, pain, stiffness, and decreased movement in the joints, especially small joints of the hands and feet.
· Fibromyalgia: A long-term condition causing pain throughout the body. Its cause is unknown, but it may be linked to family history and genetics.
· Psoriatic arthritis: An autoimmune condition causing joint inflammation and pain. It has been linked, though not exclusively, to psoriasis.
· Systemic lupus erythematosus, commonly called “lupus:” An autoimmune disease causing pain throughout the body, especially in the joints and muscles.
· Gout: A form of inflammatory arthritis causing swollen, painful joints, especially of the lower limbs.
Applications for SSD joint pain based on these and other conditions must undergo an evaluation process to be approved for chronic arthritis disability benefits.
Social Security uses a five-step sequential evaluation process to determine whether to approve an application for SSD joint pain and arthritis benefits. Each step considers the available medical and other evidence to decide whether a person has a disability according to the federal definition:
· Step 1, ability to do substantial gainful work activity: If a person works and their monthly income exceeds a threshold amount, they are doing substantial gainful activity and are not disabled.
· Step 2, medical severity of the impairment: The impairment or impairments must meet the duration requirement of being expected to last for at least one year or result in death. Failure to meet the duration step means a person is not disabled.
· Step 3, medical severity with an impairment that meets or equals a listed impairment: Social Security maintains a listing of impairments considered severe enough to result in a long-term disability.
· Step 4, ability to do past relevant work: Using an assessment of a person’s ability within the limitations of their medical condition to do work they did within the past five years. An ability to do past relevant work means they are not disabled.
· Step 5, ability to do other types of work: This step assesses a person's functional limitations caused by their medical condition and their age, education, work history, and vocational skills to determine their ability to adjust to do other work available in the national economy.
The listing of impairments, also called the “Blue Book,” can be essential in determining whether Social Security approves an application for arthritis disability benefits.
The listing of impairments, or Blue Book, contains physical and mental impairments for 14 major systems of the body. Listed impairments are considered permanent and severe enough to prevent a person from engaging in work activities. Also included are the medical criteria for evaluating each listed impairment.
Impairments applying to arthritis and joint pain can be found in section 1.18, “Abnormality of a major joint in any extremity.” Symptoms include chronic joint pain or stiffness with abnormal joint motion, instability, or immobility.
Listing 14.09 contains medical criteria, including symptoms, to meet a listing for inflammatory arthritis. An arthritis condition that does not meet the listing may be medically equal to it, based on evidence of symptoms and medical criteria consistent with the listing.
Working with a skilled and knowledgeable disability attorney at Clauson Law gives you representation by someone who knows the listings and the evidence the Social Security Administration looks for when evaluating applications.
Proving a claim for Social Security disability benefits requires medical documentation proving the condition and the limitations it imposes. Claims based on arthritis and joint pain must be supported by medical records proving the diagnosis, progression, and severity of the condition, including:
· Medical history.
· Physical examination notes and findings, including evidence of swollen, deformed joints with tenderness and reduced range of motion observed by the physician during the examination.
· Diagnostic imaging, such as X-ray, MRI, and CT scan, documenting structural changes, inflammation, and cartilage loss.
· Blood test results showing autoimmune activity.
· Documentation of treatment of the condition, including medication prescribed, therapy, or surgery.
Records should show consistent medical care, with no missed appointments or other gaps in care or treatment. Failing to follow the treatment plan recommended for a patient may result in the denial of a disability benefits claim.
You can help your claim for benefits by keeping a daily log of how the pain and other symptoms of chronic arthritis affect you. Recording the pain levels, fatigue, and limitations, both physical and mental, that you experience on a daily basis can be of value to prove an inability to work.
The founder of Clauson Law, Vaughn Clauson, is a board-certified SSD specialist in North Carolina who has been helping people nationwide secure the disability benefits they need and deserve for more than two decades. When arthritis and joint pain interfere with your ability to work and earn a living, turn to Clauson Law for unsurpassed representation. Contact us today to talk discuss your chronic arthritis claim benefits during a free consultation.
