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The
Social Security Administration (SSA)
uses a specialized definition of
“disability” that is very
strict. In essence, the SSA
requires that you suffer from a
medical condition that causes
you to be unable to perform at
your current or previous job and
that you cannot adjust to
performing other work. Further,
the disability must be expected
to last for at least one year or
to result in death.
Attorney Colleen Russo can
help you qualify for Social
Security Disability Benefits in
the St. Petersburg / Clearwater
/ Tampa Bay area.
In order to determine whether
you are “disabled” as defined by
the Social Security
Administration (SSA), the Administration will
ask five key questions:
1.
Are You Working?
The Social Security Administration will not pay Social
Security disability benefits to
a person who works or who’s
monthly earnings are, on
average, more then $940.00.
2.
Is Your Condition “Severe”?
Your medical condition must
interfere with basic work-related
activities in order to be
considered “severe.” Only
“severe” conditions are
sufficient to qualify under the Social
Security Administration’s
(SSA) strict definition of
“disability.”
3.
Is Your Condition Found in the
List of Disabling Conditions?
The SSA maintains a master list
of medical conditions that
affect the major systems of the
body. These medical conditions
are so severe that they are
automatically considered to be
disabilities by the Social Security Administration
(SSA). If
your condition is not on the
list, the SSA must find that
your condition is of equivalent
severity as those conditions
found on the list in order for
you to be considered disabled.
The following list includes just
a few of the conditions that may
qualify as a disability.
However, even if your condition
is not on the list you may still
qualify for benefits. Call
St. Petersburg / Clearwater
Attorney Colleen Russo to discuss whether a
combination of injuries or
conditions may be considered
severe enough to prevent you
from working and qualify you to
receive Social Security
Disability benefits.
Our office has helped clients
secure Social Security
Disability benefits associated
with the following illnesses,
injuries and disorders:
-
Chronic fatigue syndrome
-
Post traumatic stress
disorder
-
Traumatic brain injury
-
Fibromyalgia
-
Spinal injuries
-
Herniated disc(s)
-
Lupus
-
Crohn’s disease
-
Colitis
-
Diabetes
-
Seizures
-
Anxiety
-
Panic disorder
-
RSD (Reflex Sympathetic
Dystrophy)
-
Chronic heart disease
-
Cerebral palsy
-
Multiple sclerosis
-
Carpal tunnel syndrome
-
HIV
-
Sjogren’s syndrome
-
Bi-polar
-
Leukemia
-
Rheumatoid arthritis
-
Parkinson’s disease
-
Peripheral neuropathy
-
Stroke
-
Chronic headaches
-
COPD (Chronic Obstructive
Pulmonary Disease)
-
Blindness
-
Severe back pain
-
Cancer
-
Extreme Psoriasis involving
hands & feet
-
Obesity
Clients with a medical condition
considered "critical" are
processed more quickly by the
Social Security Administration.
An
experienced Social Security
Disability Lawyer can help to
determine if your disability is
"critical" and would therefore
qualify for expedited
consideration of benefits.
4.
Can You Do the Work You did
Previously?
If your condition is severe, but
not as severe as the other
conditions found on the List of
Disabling Conditions, then the
Social Security Administration will determine whether your
condition interferes with your
ability to do the work you did
previously. If your condition
does not interfere with your
ability to work, you will not be
considered disabled for the
purposes of qualifying for
Social Security Disability.
5.
Can You Do Any Other Type of
Work?
If the Social Security Administration
determines that you can’t do the
work you did previously, they
will then inquire into your
ability to adjust to other types
of work. In this respect, the
Social Security Administration will take into account your
age, level of education, work
experience, and any transferable
skills you may have. If the Social Security Administration
determines that you would be
unable to adjust to other work,
your claim will be approved,
provided you have satisfied the
other Social Security Disability
qualifications.
How We
Can Help
Call St. Petersburg / Clearwater
Social Security Disability
Lawyer Colleen Russo. She can
help you through every step of
the appeal process and advise
you on the best possible way to
pursue a favorable decision that
awards you disability benefits.
Social Security Disability
Links:
Social
Security Administration
Social
Security Administration Listing
of Impairments
Social
Security Association Frequently
Asked Questions
Compilation of Social Security
Laws
Social
Security Handbook
Social
Security Advisory Service
Centers
for Medicare and Medicaid
Services
National Institutes of Health
Medline
Plus: Disabilities, health
information and resources
Centers
for Disease Control and
Prevention: Disability
For other legal
problems, we invite you to visit
our other websites:
St.
Petersburg & Clearwater Auto
Accident and Personal Injury
Attorney
St.
Petersburg & Clearwater DUI and
Criminal Defense Lawyer
Florida
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