Degenerative arthritis can make standing, walking, lifting and completing even simple daily tasks difficult. When joint pain and stiffness prevent you from working, Crowe & Shanahan can help you pursue Social Security Disability benefits. Our St. Louis degenerative arthritis disability lawyers provide personal guidance to disabled workers throughout eastern Missouri and southern Illinois.
Our law firm focuses entirely on Social Security Disability cases. You receive straightforward advice and direct access to an attorney who takes time to understand your health, employment history and concerns. At our St. Louis law office, you are treated as a person rather than a case number.
While other Social Security Disability firms provide a nationwide practice, we pride ourselves on focusing our time and resources on helping people in St. Louis, eastern Missouri and southern Illinois. To talk with a skilled St. Louis degenerative arthritis disability attorney, call 314-231-6660, or contact us online.
Degenerative arthritis, also called osteoarthritis, occurs when cartilage and other tissues within a joint change or deteriorate over time. Although arthritis is common, a diagnosis alone does not establish eligibility for disability benefits. The Social Security Administration must evaluate how the condition affects your ability to perform work activities on a sustained basis.
Symptoms and limitations associated with degenerative arthritis may include:
Your condition must prevent substantial gainful activity and must have lasted, or be expected to last, for at least 12 continuous months. Depending on your work history and financial circumstances, you may qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits or Supplemental Security Income.
Some people improve enough to return to work after surgery or other treatment. When a person was unable to work for at least 12 continuous months before improving, a lawyer can evaluate whether the person may qualify for benefits covering a closed period of disability.
Many St. Louis workers have spent years on assembly lines, in warehouses, on construction sites or in other physically demanding jobs. When bone-on-bone arthritis makes it impossible to remain on your feet throughout a shift, you may wonder, “Can I get disability if I cannot stand on the line anymore?”
The answer depends on more than your diagnosis. The Social Security Administration first considers whether you can perform your past work. If you cannot, it may use medical-vocational guidelines, commonly called the grid rules, to determine whether you can adjust to other work.
The grid rules consider several factors together:
Age alone does not determine whether you qualify. However, the Social Security Administration considers age together with your physical capacity, education and work history when deciding whether you can adapt to different employment. These factors may be especially important for an older worker whose career involved heavy physical labor and who has few skills that transfer to sedentary work.
Our St. Louis disability attorneys document the actual duties of your former jobs, including how long you stood, how far you walked, how much weight you lifted and how often you bent, reached or climbed.
This information can help show why arthritis prevents you from returning to your previous work and whether the grid rules apply to your claim.
Objective medical evidence is required to establish a medically determinable musculoskeletal condition. For degenerative arthritis, that evidence may include X-rays, MRIs, CT scans, physical examinations, surgical records and reports from qualified medical providers.
Imaging may document joint-space narrowing, cartilage loss, bone spurs or other structural changes. However, imaging results do not always show the full effect of arthritis on your ability to work. The Social Security Administration may also consider evidence describing your pain, range of motion, ability to walk, use of assistive devices, treatment history and response to treatment.
Our legal team regularly helps clients collect records from orthopedic specialists, radiologists, physical therapists and other providers throughout the St. Louis area. These records may come from major local healthcare networks such as BJC HealthCare, Mercy, SSM Health and WashU Medicine Orthopedics.
Our lawyers work to obtain and organize relevant evidence, which may include:
Missing records and incomplete descriptions of physical limitations can make it harder for an examiner to understand your condition. An attorney from our St. Louis law firm can review the available evidence, identify gaps and help present an organized record of how arthritis limits your daily activities and ability to maintain employment.
A strong claim should explain both what your medical records show and what you can no longer do reliably. Our disability lawyers consider whether pain, stiffness, fatigue or medication side effects affect your ability to remain on task, maintain attendance and complete a full workday.
Our attorneys may help by:
Our St. Louis lawyers serve clients throughout eastern Missouri, the Metro East and southern Illinois. Because our law office handles Social Security Disability matters rather than maintaining a nationwide general practice, our legal team understands the needs of workers and families in the communities we serve.
Severe arthritis can make traveling painful and stressful. Our main law office is centrally located in downtown St. Louis, and Crowe & Shanahan covers parking costs for office visitors who choose to drive. This allows you to focus on meeting with your attorney rather than worrying about an added expense.
If degenerative arthritis prevents you from maintaining employment, speak with a lawyer about your options. Our St. Louis attorneys provide free evaluations to disabled workers in eastern Missouri and southern Illinois. Contact our law firm online to discuss your Social Security Disability claim.
We take pride in the strong professional and personal relationships we build with each client. You will meet with the attorney early on and that same attorney will be with you throughout the process. You can rely on us to give you honest advice about your options because this is the right thing to do.
As your advocates, we will remain by your side throughout the process, developing a strategy that fits your specific circumstances. Your legal and financial issues are unique, so we tailor our advice according to your situation. Many individuals and families have benefited from this legal approach.
