If you are unable to work and earn a living due to paraplegia, you may be eligible to collect Social Security disability through one or both of the following programs: Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). These programs, administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA), offer monthly compensation to people with injuries or illness that prevent them from sustaining gainful employment.
Disability Advantage Group is a law firm that helps clients file claims for Social Security disability. The guidelines to qualify for benefits can be stringent, and many applicants receive denials. Our job is to give you the best chance of a favorable outcome on the first try, allowing you to collect benefits as quickly as possible.
For a free consultation with a member of our team, call us today at 865-566-0800.
Causes and Effects of Paraplegia
Paraplegia involves paralysis of the lower half of the body, generally defined as the waist down. A person with paraplegia has no use of their legs, preventing them from walking or standing. The condition usually results from a spinal cord injury, though certain diseases can also cause it. When the nerve passageways in your spinal cord suffer trauma or damage, the proper signals do not get transmitted from the brain to the muscles you are trying to move.
Complete vs. Incomplete Paraplegia
Your paraplegia may be complete or incomplete. The severity of damage to your spinal cord and the area affected determine which it is.
- With incomplete paraplegia, you maintain limited movement and sensation in your lower body, but generally not enough to have normal function and mobility.
- With complete paraplegia, you have no feeling or sensation and no movement in the lower half of your body.
You can qualify for Social Security disability whether your paraplegia is complete or incomplete. The primary requirement is that your condition is severe enough to prevent you from working and earning a living, which can occur even if you have some degree of movement or feeling in your legs.
A lawyer from Disability Advantage Group can help you start collecting benefits. For a free consultation, call 865-566-0800.
The Social Security Disability Listing for Paraplegia
The SSA maintains a list of injuries and illnesses that qualify for Social Security disability benefits. This database, called the “Blue Book,” provides for each listed condition a set of criteria that an applicant must satisfy to get approved for disability. In other words, it is not enough simply to have a diagnosis of a listed condition. You must meet specific diagnostic criteria established by the SSA.
If your claim makes it clear that you meet the criteria of a Blue Book listing, you may get approved for benefits fairly easily. While the Blue Book does not have a specific listing for paraplegia, it contains a section devoted to spinal cord disorders, which covers many people affected with various forms of paralysis. If your condition has another cause, such as muscular dystrophy or cerebral palsy, it may have a Blue Book listing as well.
The RFC Exam
If the underlying cause of your paraplegia does not meet the eligibility criteria of a Blue Book listing, then we can help you get approved for Social Security disability via other means. The most common way to qualify for benefits when you do not meet a Blue Book listing is to undergo a residual functional capacity, or RFC, exam.
The RFC exam is simple, noninvasive, and can be performed by your own doctor, who then submits the results to the person reviewing your claim. It measures your ability to carry out specific work-related tasks and other essential daily living activities in the wake of your paraplegia. The goal of the RFC test is to show that your condition makes it impossible to sustain gainful employment.
Disability Advantage Group can help you set up an RFC exam and prepare you for it. For a free consultation, call us at 865-566-0800.
The Blue Book Criteria for Paraplegia
Many people with paraplegia who qualify for benefits based on a Blue Book listing will do so by meeting the requirements outlined in section 11, covering neurological disorders. We will review your medical evidence and determine if you satisfy the criteria for this section or if we need to prepare you for an RFC exam instead.
To find out more, and to take the first step to getting approved for disability by receiving a free case evaluation, call Disability Advantage Group today at 865-566-0800.
The Non-Medical Requirements for Social Security Disability
To get approved for Social Security, you not only must meet strict eligibility requirements on a medical basis, you must also satisfy the non-medical requirements of the program for which you are applying. These requirements involve your work history, income, and assets. They differ greatly based on whether you are applying for SSDI, SSI, or both.
Disability Advantage Group can help you prove you meet the non-medical requirements for disability.
Get a Free Social Security Disability Case Evaluation for Paraplegia Today. Call Disability Advantage Group at 865-566-0800.
The Social Security disability lawyers at Disability Advantage Group are eager to help you win the benefits you deserve for paraplegia. We want to get started on your claim right away. You do not pay us a fee until you get approved. To receive a free consultation, call us at 865-566-0800.