Polycythemia Vera Disability Benefits

What is Polycythemia Vera?

Polycythemia Vera is a rare and aggressive kind of blood cancer. It causes your bone marrow to produce an abnormally high number of red blood cells. These extra cells cause your blood to thicken, restricting its flow, which can result in significant complications such as blood clots.

Polycythemia Vera is a rare condition. It typically develops slowly, and you may be unaware that you have it for years. Often, the problem is discovered through a routine blood test.

Polycythemia Vera can be fatal if left untreated. However, adequate medical care can help alleviate the disease’s indications, symptoms, and complications.

Many persons with Polycythemia Vera exhibit no symptoms or indicators. Certain individuals may experience vague symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, lethargy, or blurred vision.

Additional symptoms of Polycythemia Vera include the following:

  • Itchiness, particularly following a warm bath or shower
  • In your hands, feet, arms, or legs, you may experience numbness, tingling, burning, or weakness.
  • A sense of fullness shortly after eating, as well as bloating or pain in the left upper abdomen, are all symptoms of an enlarged spleen.
  • Bleeding that is unusual, such as a nosebleed or bleeding gums
  • A painful swelling of a single joint, most frequently the big toe.
  • When lying down, you may experience shortness of breath and difficulty breathing.

Applying for Social Security Disability Benefits if You Have Polycythemia Vera Diagnosis

Section 7.00 of the Social Security Administration’s Listing of Impairments Manual, more generally referred to as the Blue Book, contains general information about applying for Social Security disability payments with blood diseases. Section 7.09 discusses polycythemia vera (characterized by erythrocytosis, splenomegaly, and leukocytosis or thrombocytosis).

Generally, polycythemia vera instances are classified according to the body systems affected. This is frequently found in sections dealing with heart diseases (Section 4.00), though adjudicators may consider any of numerous other organs and bodily systems that may be damaged.

When filing for Social Security disability payments, you will want to have as much medical data as possible to substantiate your claim. You will require the results of all laboratory tests performed to confirm your diagnosis of polycythemia vera. Additionally, you’ll want to ensure that all blood transfusions are meticulously documented and that you keep track of the number of transfusions you’ve received. Any medical tests or documents pertaining to the numerous organs affected by your debilitating illness should be included in your claim as well.

Your Disability Case for Polycythemia Vera

Because they are evaluated based on the requirements applicable to the body organs and systems impacted by blood thickening, rather than on the blood itself, many claims consider a variety of debilitating disorders. Often, even if you do not fulfill any one of the disability listings, the cumulative effect on many body systems is sufficient to qualify you for disability benefits.

Claiming disability payments from Social Security can be a complicated process. The Social Security Administration has a fairly restrictive definition of disability. To receive benefits, you have to provide evidence that the sum of your conditions is severe enough that you are unable to perform any meaningful employment.

One advantage that many Polycythemia Vera claimants have is their age. The SSA anticipates you to be less adaptable to new and diverse sorts of career possibilities as you age. While older claimants must still demonstrate that they are incapable of performing job for which they may reasonably be trained, the SSA lowers the bar in terms of the amount of retraining they expect applicants to undergo.

The majority of people who file for Social Security disability benefit from the assistance of a Social Security disability lawyer. Your disability attorney may be the deciding factor between denial and approval. Best of all, it is completely free to have an experienced Social Security attorney assess and discuss your disability claim with you.