Does Heart Disease Qualify You for Disability?

Heart disease may qualify you for disability benefits if your cardiovascular impairment is so debilitating that it prevents you from working for at least one year or is ultimately expected to result in your death. You must provide sufficient medical evidence to prove you cannot work due to a heart problem to receive Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits. 

If you believe your heart disease should qualify you for disability benefits, but you’re unsure how to prove it to the Social Security Administration (SSA), a Pittsburgh heart disease disability lawyer can walk you through the process. If the SSA has already denied your claim, an attorney can also help you file an appeal and fight for the benefits you deserve. 

How to Determine Whether Heart Disease Qualifies You for Disability

To qualify for SSD benefits, you generally must have a serious health condition that will prevent you from working for at least 12 months or result in your death. 

If you are applying for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits, you must have also accrued enough work credits through qualified jobs.

If you are applying for Supplemental Security Income (SSI), you do not need to have a work history. Your Pittsburgh Social Security Disability attorney can help you determine which program you qualify for. 

Proving your disability requires submitting a significant amount of medical evidence. To determine whether your heart disease qualifies you for disability, you may need to undergo: 

• Physical examinations
• Medical imaging, such as chest X-rays
• Electrocardiograms (EKGs)
• Echocardiograms
• Blood tests
• Exercise stress tests

Your lawyer can explain what medical evidence is necessary to prove your disability and ensure the SSA receives all required test results and other documentation. They can also complete and file your SSD benefits application for you while you tend to your health. 

What Is Heart Disease?

According to the American Heart Association, heart disease is a blanket term that covers several different types of heart problems. Many of these conditions stem from atherosclerosis, or a buildup of plaque in the arteries, preventing blood from flowing normally. 

When a blood clot (a complete blockage) forms, it can cause a stroke or heart attack. Additionally, heart failure can occur when the heart cannot adequately pump blood throughout the body, resulting in oxygen deprivation. 

Common treatments for heart disease include medications, various surgeries, or the insertion of devices such as pacemakers or stents. If these treatments fail to fix the problem and symptoms continue to be incapacitating, patients may qualify for disability benefits. 

Heart Disease Is Mentioned in the Social Security Administration’s Blue Book

The Social Security Administration (SSA) Blue Book lists impairments that generally qualify for disability benefits. Several types of heart problems are mentioned in the “Cardiovascular System” section of the Blue Book. 

To meet the SSA’s definition of disability, your heart disease must generally cause you to experience:

• Persistent symptoms (lasting for at least 12 months) that prevent you from completing normal activities of daily living

OR:

• Recurrent episodes (three or more in a 12-month period) of heart failure or other cardiac events that require emergency room treatment or hospitalization for 12 hours or more

What Specific Heart Problems Are Listed in the Blue Book?

Examples of the medically documented heart problems that may qualify you for SSD benefits include:

• Chronic heart failure (CHF): A long-term condition that develops when the heart cannot pump enough blood throughout the body
• Ischemic heart disease: Heart damage caused by lack of oxygen due to plaque buildup in the arteries
• Symptomatic congenital heart disease: One or more heart defects present at birth that still affect the patient as an adult
• Peripheral arterial disease (PAD): A condition caused by reduced blood flow to the arms and legs due to plaque buildup
• Chronic venous insufficiency: A condition resulting from defective vein valves that cannot pump blood back to the heart, resulting in blood pooling in the legs
• Recurrent arrhythmia: Irregular heartbeat
• Heart transplant: A treatment for end-stage heart failure when other remedies have failed

What If My Heart Problem Doesn’t Meet the Blue Book’s Criteria?

You may still qualify for disability if your heart disease or other cardiovascular issue doesn’t precisely fit the Blue Book’s criteria. In that situation, the SSA will likely request a residual functional capacity (RFC) assessment to determine the extent to which your heart problem affects your ability to work. If the RFC test reveals that you cannot work due to your heart disease, you may be able to receive SSD benefits. 

Potentially Debilitating Symptoms of Heart Disease

Depending on the specific type of heart problem you have, you may experience various symptoms that can be debilitating and prevent you from working. According to the Mayo Clinic, such symptoms may include:

• Chronic fatigue
• Dizziness
• Fainting
• Dyspnea (shortness of breath)
• Angina (chest pain)
• Palpitations or an irregular heartbeat
• Heart attack
• Swelling, numbness, or weakness in the hands, feet, or ankles

To qualify for disability, your symptoms must be persistent or recurring, despite attempted medical treatments or medications.

What Disability Benefits Can You Get for Heart Disease?

SSDI and SSI offer monthly payments to qualifying individuals with disabilities to help them cover their costs of daily living. The amount you qualify for will depend on various factors such as your age and previous salary. Disability recipients also often qualify for Medicare or Medicaid. 

According to the SSA, SSDI claimants must generally wait five months from the onset of their disability before receiving benefits. However, SSI has no waiting period. The sooner you apply for benefits, the better. 

Our Heart Disease Social Security Disability Lawyers Can Help You Apply for Disability

The law firm of Berger and Green has been helping people living with heart disease since 1984. If you have a serious heart problem and need help with the application or appeals process, we are here for you. 

Trust the name you know. Contact us today for a free initial consultation.