Does MS Qualify for SSDI?

A chronic autoimmune disease, multiple sclerosis (MS) attacks the protective coatings that cover your nerves, interrupting their ability to communicate with your brain. This leads to muscle weakness, coordination problems, fatigue, and other symptoms. If you have been diagnosed with MS, it could impact your ability to engage in work and the activities of daily life. Your ability to get Social Security disability insurance (SSDI) based on MS depends on the severity of your condition, your earned work credits, and whether you can perform any substantial gainful activity. Does MS qualify for SSDI? Scroll down to find out.

Qualifying for SSDI Based on an Impairment Listing

Does MS qualify for SSDI? Yes, but to qualify, you must show the Social Security Administration (SSA) evidence that your condition is so severe that it prevents you from working or performing any substantial gainful activity, which means that your MS is disabling enough that you can’t perform work at any job. One way to prove this is to show that your condition meets an impairment listing in the SSA’s Blue Book.

The Blue Book includes a list of impairments that the SSA considers so disabling that they qualify as disabilities for SSDI or Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Multiple sclerosis is listed at 11.09 of the Blue Book. To meet the impairment listing criteria, your MS must meet the following criteria:

• Disorganization of your motor functioning in two extremities that causes an extreme limitation in your ability to stand, balance, or use your arms; or
• A marked limitation in your physical functioning plus one of the following:
• • Remembering, using, or understanding information
• • Concentrating, keeping pace, or persisting on a task
• • Interacting with people
• • Managing or adapting

Qualifying Without Meeting the MS Listing

Does MS qualify for SSDI when you don’t meet an impairment listing? If your condition doesn’t meet the criteria under the SSA’s listing, you might still qualify for SSDI based on your other symptoms, including blindness or psychological conditions caused by nervous system damage. You can also qualify by showing that your condition is severe enough to equal a listing and prevents you from performing substantial gainful activity. The SSA will assess your residual functional capacity (RFC) to determine what you’re still able to do despite your condition based on the evidence.

Evidence to Support Your SSDI Claim

Your SSDI application must be supported with evidence. You should submit thorough documentation of your condition’s severity and how it impacts you, including the following:

• Diagnostic test results
• Medical records from all of your healthcare providers
• Evidence of continued medical care
• Your doctor’s medical opinion about how your MS affects you
• Documentation from your former employer about how your MS impacts your ability to work
• Mental health records if your MS causes psychological conditions, such as anxiety or depression
• Journal of the impact of your symptoms on your ability to perform the activities of daily life

Compassionate Allowance Program Eligibility

If you have malignant multiple sclerosis, as evidenced by lesions in your central nervous system and brain, you might qualify for the SSA’s Compassionate Allowance program. The Compassionate Allowance program expedites your application and includes malignant multiple sclerosis as a qualifying condition.

Work Credits

To qualify for SSDI based on multiple sclerosis, you must also have earned enough work credits. You earn a maximum of four credits per year based on your earnings and payments to the SSA through FICA withholdings from your paychecks. In general, you must have 40 work credits with 20 earned during the 10 years preceding your application. If you are younger, you can qualify with fewer work credits. If you don’t have enough work credits, you might still be eligible for SSI, which is not based on your work history.

Talk to Our Experienced Disability Lawyers

If you have multiple sclerosis and are unable to work because of your condition, you might qualify for SSDI. The experienced Social Security disability attorneys at Ellis & Associates have helped many people get SSDI based on their medical conditions, including MS. Contact us for a free consultation today by calling 800-MR-ELLIS or sending us a message online.