What is Symptomatic Congenital Heart Disease?
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Congenital heart disease is directed towards one or more structural disorders with the heart that have existed since birth. The term “congenital” refers to a deformity that is present from birth. Congenital heart disease, also known as congenital heart defect, can alter the flow of blood through your heart. Some congenital cardiac abnormalities may not cause any complications. Complex flaws, on the other hand, can result in life-threatening problems.
Because to advancements in diagnosis and treatment, babies with congenital heart disease can now live into their adulthood. Signs and symptoms of congenital heart disease may not appear until you are an adult.
Certain congenital cardiac abnormalities are asymptomatic. For some individuals, indications or symptoms manifest themselves later in life. And symptoms can recur years after a cardiac issue has been treated.
Adults with congenital heart disease frequently experience the following symptoms:
- Heart beats that are abnormal (arrhythmias)
- The skin, lips, and fingernails have a bluish color (cyanosis)
- Difficulty in breathing
- Exertion-induced exhaustion
- Body tissue or organs swell (edema)
Symptomatic Congenital Heart Disease SSDI Benefits
If someone is suffering from Symptomatic Congenital Heart Disease, they may qualify for Social Security Disability benefits under the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) guidelines. The SSA defines diagnostic criteria for benefits eligibility in its impairment listing handbook (often referred to as the “Blue Book.” These criteria include the following:
- Cyanosis – (blue appearance due to insufficient oxygenation) at rest, and either hematocrit or arterial oxygen saturation levels exceeding a pre-determined level of severity
- Intermittent right-to-left shunting – (blood movement within the heart) resulting in cyanosis when active and causing oxygenation disruptions exceeding a pre-determined level of severity
- Obstruction of pulmonary arteries resulting in elevated blood pressure in the pulmonary arteries exceeding a pre-
All cases must be documented and record the defect in question using “appropriate medically acceptable imaging”; that is, the presence of the diagnosed defect must be confirmed using cardiac catheterization or another standard diagnostic imaging technique such as ultrasound, CT scan, or whatever technique is considered standard for diagnosing that specific disabling condition.
Symptomatic Congenital Heart Disease SSDI Case
If you or someone you know is handicapped as a result of a diagnosis of Congenital Heart Disease, you are very likely eligible for Social Security Disability benefits. Because establishing the presence of a disability may be difficult, you would be wise to contact with a Social Security Disability attorney.
The SSA’s criteria are meant to ensure that funding designated for disability payments are distributed only to those who truly qualify; unfortunately, far too many people consider disability benefits as little more than lifetime jobless compensation. Unintentionally, this has resulted in these benefits being incredibly difficult to access for individuals with a true need for them. While the government’s goal of preventing fraud is admirable, the outcome is that roughly 60% of disability petitions are denied. To compound problems, many of these applications are denied based on trivial administrative errors, despite the applicant’s true impairment. While these eligible applicants will eventually receive benefits via a lengthy appeals process, they might have easily avoided the delay by having their applications assessed by an expert Social Security Disability attorney.
By collaborating closely with you and your team of medical professionals, your A Social Security Disability attorney can assure that your case is handled by someone who is intimately familiar with the application process and has completed it successfully several times. They are aware of common errors and how to avoid them. Without the added effort of going through the application and any related papers, you can then focus on your most important task: keeping yourself or a loved one healthy.