A chronic or progressive illness may interfere with your daily activities, including your ability to perform the job that supports you and your family. However, like many Missourians with chronic health conditions, you may try to power through until it becomes increasingly challenging to maintain your regular work schedule.
These are some of the signs that it may be time to apply for Social Security disability benefits.
Your productivity drops
The number of individuals working while living with a disability is rising steadily thanks to federal and state disability anti-discrimination laws. Still, many chronically ill employees must quit their jobs as their disabilities progress because they find it challenging to focus and concentrate.
You are frequently absent from your job
If your illness causes you to regularly miss workdays, you are probably having difficulty meeting the obligations of your position or commuting to your job. An inability to meet the basic requirements for employment may indicate you can no longer work.
You expect your disability to progress
Although some disabilities are short-term and will eventually resolve, others can profoundly impact how you function for the duration of your life. Therefore, you and your doctor should discuss your prognosis to determine how your illness will progress and impair your primary body functions or significantly impact your ability to engage in substantial gainful activities.
Work schedule modifications do not help
Some individuals find working part-time more manageable than working full-time. However, if you continue to struggle despite drastically reducing your work hours, it may be time to apply for social security disability benefits.
A disability benefits application can take months to process and may initially result in a denial of benefits. However, a carefully constructed application and appeal letter may help you get the crucial benefits you need.
