Lupus – Overview
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Lupus is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune illness that manifests clinically in a variety of ways due to its impact on many organ systems. Lupus is classified into four distinct types: neonatal, discoid, drug-induced, and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), which affects the vast majority of individuals. Lupus patients lose self-tolerance as a result of aberrant immunological function and the generation of autoantibodies, which then will result in the formation of immune complexes that can harm healthy tissue. While the exact mechanism of disease is unknown, genetic, hormonal, and environmental variables, as well as immunological disorders, have been found. Lupus onset has also been linked to age, sex, region, and race. Individualized management of this disease should involve both pharmaceutical and nonpharmacological methods for symptom relief and resolution, as well as an improvement in quality of life.
Lupus is a unique disease with no two cases being identical. Signs and symptoms might manifest abruptly or gradually, be minor or severe, and be transitory or permanent. The majority of patients with lupus have mild disease, which is marked by episodes termed flares, during which signs and symptoms worsen for a time before improving or even disappearing completely.
Lupus symptoms and indicators vary according to which body systems are impacted by the disease. The following are the most frequently encountered indications and symptoms:
- Fatigue / Fever
- Joint stiffness, discomfort, and edema
- Butterfly-shaped rash covering the cheekbones and bridge of the nose, or rashes on other parts of the body Skin lesions that develop or aggravate as a result of sun exposure
- When exposed to cold or during stressful situations, the fingers and toes turn white or blue.
- Breathlessness
- Pain in the chest
- Eyes that are parched
- Headaches, disorientation, and memory loss.
Are Lupus Patients Eligible for Disability Benefits?
Lupus patients may be eligible for disability compensation. To qualify for disability benefits if you have Lupus, you must be unable to work for a minimum of 12 months and meet the Lupus Blue Book criteria. You will need to produce medical evidence that your Lupus qualifies as a disability under the SSA’s definition.
Lupus – Disability Eligibility
Lupus is classified as a disability by the Social Security Administration’s Blue Book under Immune System Disorders. On the other hand, the Blue Book is a challenging resource for the majority of people to use because it was written for medical professionals and thus contains a lot of technical vocabulary and complicated medical information.
Consult your physician to establish the documentation required to substantiate your claim for disability. Additionally, your physician can assist you in completing and submitting to the Social Security Administration the requisite documents establishing that your lupus qualifies for benefits.
Lupus requires at least two impaired physiological systems or organs, as well as regular signs and symptoms such as fatigue, fever, or weight loss.
Alternatively, you can establish that your daily functioning is significantly impeded as a result of your lupus symptoms and complications in order to meet this requirement.
To qualify in this manner, you must have a persistent fever, tiredness, weight loss, or other “constitutional” symptoms. Additionally, these symptoms must make it difficult or impossible to function socially, to complete tasks on time, or to execute “activities of daily living,” which include bathing, cooking, cleaning your home, and running errands, to name a few.
Lupus Benefits without Meeting a Disability Listing
The majority of persons with severe or advanced systemic lupus can meet the Blue Book listing criteria. If you are not, a “residual functional capacity” (RFC) study may still be used to establish your disability.
This is a regular procedure for the Social Security Administration for any applicant who does not match or closely matches a disability classification. You will be notified via mail if additional information is required to examine your claim.
You will also receive questionnaires regarding your physical or mental limits in conjunction with this message.
When completing these questionnaires, be candid and thorough. Inform the SSA of all the ways your symptoms, treatment side effects, and lupus consequences impact your daily life.
For instance, weariness, fever, and a general sense of “sickness” may make it difficult to get out of bed or leave your home, resulting in frequent absences from work.
Inflammation, pain, and weakness may prevent you from performing routine duties such as laundry, sweeping the floor, or mowing the grass.
While this type of information may seem trivial for the SSA to request, they utilize it to gain a better understanding of how your lupus may affect your ability to perform everyday job activities. For instance, if you are unable to mow your lawn or clean your house, you will be unable to do physical job obligations such as those necessary in retail, manufacturing, or similar employment circumstances.
It’s critical to realize, however, that in order to be granted via an RFC, you must also demonstrate that your lupus prevents you from working in an office or other sedentary employment.
The SSA must establish that you have difficulty completing activities on time, processing thoughts or other information, or if you suffer from other cognitive or physical symptoms that make it impossible for you to function in any profession at all. prevent you from working at all in any profession.
Consult a Social Security Attorney to Determine Whether Your Lupus Constitutes a Disability
Before filing for benefits, you’ll need to provide financial information, employment history, and schooling information. Collecting contact information for all of your medical providers is also important, as the SSA will require this information to obtain copies of your medical records.
When you’re ready to begin your application, you may either visit the Social Security Administration’s website to apply for SSDI or visit a local SSA office to apply for SSI and/or SSDI benefits.
However, you can fill out our free evaluation form to learn more about your case and begin the process of locating legal representation.