Related Links: How to Get Social Security Payments for Chronic Skin Lesions |
You couldn’t believe it when you were told that you were “not sufficiently disabled” to qualify for Social Security disability benefits. For many patients who have been denied disability, the truth is that they meet the qualifications—they merely did not apply for benefits under the correct listing.
Your Skin Condition May Affect a Number of Other Bodily Systems
If you were denied benefits for a chronic skin disorder, you may still be able to get payments under a different condition listing. Skin problems could be a symptom of a larger condition and can affect many other bodily systems. Therefore, the symptoms of a skin condition may qualify you for payments—even if the condition itself does not.
Patients with skin conditions may qualify for Social Security disability benefits under the following categories:
- Autoimmune disorders. The Social Security Administration (SSA) provides disability payments for many autoimmune disorders that cause skin problems including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), scleroderma, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.
- Tuberous sclerosis. This is a brain disorder that shows symptoms on the skin.
- Malignant skin tumors. Malignant melanomas and other dermatologic forms of cancer are covered under the SSA’s caner listings.
- Disfigurement or deformity. If your skin lesions have resulted in a deformity, such as loss of sight, hearing, speech, or the ability to chew, you should include doctor’s notes from Methodist Health or other Omaha hospitals documenting your limitations. In addition, if you have a facial disfigurement or physical deformity caused by skin lesions, you can get disability for limitations in social functioning.
- Photosensitivity disorders. Patients with severe photosensitivity disorders, such as xeroderma pigmentosum (XP), experience a hypersensitivity to ultraviolet light. This severely limits their working abilities, as they must stay in protected environments in order to prevent contact with sunlight. These patients often have a high risk of skin cancers, neurological problems, poor eyesight, and mental disorders.
In addition to providing proof of these disorders, you must also be able to prove that you will be impaired for at least one year in order to qualify for benefits.
Are you having trouble meeting the SSA requirements for an autoimmune or skin disorder? Leave us a comment below to let us know what problems you have faced or contact us today to see how we can help.