St. Louis Social Security Disability Law Blog

A 22-year-old Florida woman with debilitating cystic fibrosis recently found out that her Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits have been terminated. Her Medicaid benefits that cover $100,000 in medical bills each year were also taken away from her. If you're thinking that this is an isolated incident, then you're mistaken. Countless SSDI recipients lose their benefits every year under questionable circumstances.

In the aforementioned case, the woman had her SSDI and Medicaid benefits removed from her because the Social Security Administration (SSA) had apparently reviewed her case and found that her health had gotten better. In the letter she received from them, they relayed that she was capable of working.

Schizophrenia is a chronic mental health condition that can affect a person's ability to live independently or work depending on how severe their disease is. Those with mild schizophrenia may seem normal on the surface and only display their adverse mannerisms or behaviors when someone engages them socially. Symptoms may be worse for those the more serious that their condition is. They may be so bad that it's impossible for them to work.

Individuals in St. Louis with a mild form of the disease can often regulate their condition with counseling and medication. Even when subjected to close scrutiny during healthy times, though, they may exhibit some undesirable traits. Prospective Missouri employers who make special accommodations for lower functioning individuals such as schizophrenics make it possible for them to hold down a job and live independently.

If you were asked to list off conditions that the Social Security Administration (SSA) considers to be disabilities, then you'd likely include rare diseases or catastrophic injuries. The truth, however, is that even common conditions such as osteoarthritis (also called "degenerative arthritis") are included on the SSA's list of disabling conditions. Mayo Clinic data shows that several million people have this condition worldwide.

Individuals who suffer from osteoarthritis generally experience the most discomfort in their hips, hands, spine and knees. Patients can actually feel pain in any part of their body as the protective cartilage found on the tips of their bones diminishes across time.

Before filing a Social Security claim for a disability, you will first need to undergo a comprehensive medical exam. From there, the doctor will write a recommendation as to whether you can no longer work. While most people think the Social Security Administration has to abide by whatever the doctor says, that is not always necessarily the case. 

Qualifying for Social Security benefits is a long and arduous process. There is still much you need to do. One of the most vital steps in this process involves following the doctor's orders exactly as prescribed. Failing to do so can compromise your case, and you could lose out on essential benefits.