High cholesterol is a dangerous condition that can lead to a host of potentially life-threatening maladies, including heart disease, stroke, and heart attacks. With high cholesterol, you are at risk for many complications that can make it difficult or even impossible to sustain meaningful, gainful employment.
If your high cholesterol—or any of the more severe conditions to which it often leads—prevents you from working, you deserve Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits to make up for the income you can no longer earn. A skilled disability attorney from the Disability Advantage Group, can help you apply for these benefits and ensure that your application is thorough and compelling.
Despite the long list of documented complications it causes, a diagnosis alone is usually not enough to get disability for high cholesterol. However, if we can show that your high cholesterol relates to another condition that does qualify for benefits, such as atherosclerosis, diabetes, or kidney disease, we can use this evidence to help you get approved for benefits.
If, on the other hand, your high cholesterol exists as a standalone condition, we still have a chance of getting you approved. In this scenario, we can turn to the residual functional capacity (RFC) test. This evaluation helps us demonstrate how, compared to an approved condition, your high cholesterol has a similar effect on your functional capacity and ability to carry out activities of daily living.
Even with an approved condition, actually winning disability benefits is not an easy process. Many deserving applicants receive denials from the Social Security Administration (SSA) due to mistakes made during the application process. Accordingly, you need a strong application and substantial evidence for the SSA to approve your claim. A disability attorney from the Disability Advantage Group, can help you with this.
We offer free consultations to all new clients. Please take the opportunity to come in, meet with a member of our accomplished team, have all your questions answered, and receive free advice on your claim. If you decide to move forward, we will begin gathering evidence and building your claim right away. Call 865-566-0800 today.
How to Win Disability Benefits for High Cholesterol
A successful claim for SSD benefits must do one of two things:
- It establishes that your condition meets all the criteria for a “Blue Book” listing—the SSA’s master list of approved medical conditions; or
- It shows that your condition limits your work capacity in a way that is functionally equivalent to a Blue Book condition.
The Blue Book does not feature a listing for high cholesterol. Thus, we cannot use Blue Book criteria to get an approval for disability based on high cholesterol alone. That said, many applicants with high cholesterol also suffer from other conditions that do have Blue Book listings. If you have any of the following conditions and meet the SSA’s listed criteria, you might qualify for benefits.
Chronic Venous Insufficiency
This is a condition that disrupts the blood flow to various areas of your body. High cholesterol is a common culprit. If your high cholesterol restricts the blood flow to your lower extremities, you could qualify for disability.
Peripheral Arterial Disease
This condition also affects the blood supply to your extremities, including your arms, legs, feet, and hands, due to plaque buildup in your veins or arteries.
Ischemic Heart Disease
This disease affects the primary arteries around the heart. It occurs due to an obstruction in the coronary arteries. This can coincides with the plaque buildup that high cholesterol can cause.
If you have persistent high cholesterol, it is worth it to have a medical evaluation to determine if you might also have one of the above conditions. A diagnosis not only helps you address a potentially serious health problem, it makes it easier to get approved for disability benefits.
If You Do Not Have One of These Approved Conditions, You Can Still Qualify for Disability.
Even if your high cholesterol is not associated with another condition, we can build a compelling case that you deserve benefits through the use of the RFC test.
Your doctor fills out the RFC test, using information from your medical diagnoses, lab test results, and his or her own observations to populate the data. The result is the closest thing we have available to an objective measure of how your condition impacts your functional capacity. The goal is to show the SSA that, due to your high cholesterol and its physical effects on your body, it is impossible for you to sustain meaningful, gainful employment. Your RFC may also show that carrying out regular daily living activities is fraught with difficulty.
We can review your medical information and determine whether to apply based on a Blue Book listing or an RFC test.
Income and Work History Requirements
The other requirements to receive disability benefits involve your employment record and income. You must meet the income, asset, or work history requirements of the disability program for which you are applying.
The SSA administers two different programs: Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
SSDI is a government-run disability insurance program for workers. Its funding comes from payroll taxes. Because of this, only those who have worked a sufficient amount can qualify for SSDI benefits.
SSI is a government-funded program for the needy. To be eligible for benefits under this program, you must not only have a disability that renders you unable to work, but you must also have a low income and few personal assets. These requirements can vary based on your family size and geographic location.
Call 865-566-0800 to Schedule a Free Consultation With a Top Social Security Disability Attorney.
The team at the Disability Advantage Group, is here to help. Our attorneys specialize in disability law. We want to put our resources to work for you by building a strong application on your behalf. To set up a free consultation, call us today at 865-566-0800.