Pittsburgh Clubfoot Disability Lawyer

Getting Disability Based on Your Clubfoot Diagnosis

Even if you worked for years, you can develop pain or new complications related to your clubfoot that prevents you from getting, working, or keeping your Pittsburgh, PA job. If this happened to you, may be able to qualify for benefits from Social Security disability. We can help you file a claim for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

The Berger and Green disability attorneys can also review your case and help you fight a denial if the Social Security Administration already rejected your initial claim. Call us today at (412) 661-1400 to learn more about how we can help you pursue the monthly payment you need to make ends meet.

The Social Security Administration lists the criteria you need to meet for disability in a book of impairment listings, known as the Blue Book. However, there is not a listing for clubfoot in this book. Instead, you need to look at Section 1.02 – Major Dysfunction of a Joint.

This listing is the most likely place to find criteria relating to your inability to stand, walk, and balance, and the limitations on your range of motion. Under Section 1.02, there are specific qualifications you need to meet, which include:

• Persistent, chronic, and debilitating pain and stiffness in the foot or ankle; and
• Limited range of motion in the painful joint; and
• Significant difficulty walking as defined in the Blue Book

To meet these qualifications, your medical records must contain the right evidence to prove your impairment. This may be X-rays and other imaging scans, notes about your treatments and the outcome, and other information about your impairment.

When you reach out to us about your case, we help you collect the contact information for your doctors and ensure the information on your claim is correct before we file it. This is the best way to get the disability examiner from the Office of Disability Determination Services the information needed to approve your claim. Call us today at (412) 661-1400 to let our team take a look at your case.

Getting Benefits Based on Your Residual Functional Capacity

If you do not meet the qualifications under an applicable impairment listing in the Blue Book, you may be able to get benefits based on your residual functional capacity (RFC) assessment. When the Office of Disability Determination Services assesses your RFC, they look at several things including:

• Your work history, education, and training
• Your remaining abilities despite your impairment
• How often you can work
• How long you can work

There are three ways the disability examiner handling your case can assess your RFC:

• A doctor from the Office of Disability Determination Services can use your medical records to assess your RFC; or
• Your doctor can assess your RFC based on your records and her knowledge of your case; or
• They can ask you to attend a consultative exam with another doctor scheduled and paid for by the Social Security Administration

If your RFC assessment shows that you cannot work any previous job or another job you might qualify for, you could be approved for disability benefits. You may also get approval if you can work but require accommodations such as being allowed to sit while doing a job that normally requires standing.

Be Aware of the Technical Criteria Necessary for Disability Benefits

To get Social Security Disability benefits for clubfoot in Pittsburgh, PA, you need to not only prove you suffer from a disabling impairment, but also meet all the technical requirements of the program. Before forwarding your application materials to the Office of Disability Determination Services, the local Social Security field office evaluates your technical qualifications. If you do not meet all the criteria, you will receive a technical denial.

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)

To get SSDI, you need to:

• Be a U.S. citizen or qualifying immigrant
• Earn less than the current substantial gainful activity limit
• Have adequate work credits
• Have recent enough work credits

Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

To qualify for SSI, you need to prove:

• S. citizenship or qualifying immigrant status
• An income below current program limits
• Assets under the program’s current limits

Our Team Can Help You Fight for Disability Benefits

If you filed your claim for social security disability for clubfoot in Pittsburgh, PA and the Social Security Administration denied it, the team from Berger and Green is here to help you. We can explain your options and request your appeals hearing (if there is sufficient time to do so). You only have a short time after receiving a denial notice, though, so it pays to act quickly.

After your hearing is on the Administrative Law Judge’s docket, we will:

• Answer your questions about your case or the appeals process
• Investigate your denial
• Collect evidence to prove you qualify for benefits
• Build a solid case for your hearing
• Represent you before the Administrative Law Judge
• Present your case during your hearing
• Fight for your monthly benefits as well as back pay

Getting Social Security Disability for Clubfoot in Pittsburgh, PA

If you cannot work because of your clubfoot, Berger and Green may be able to help you get the social security disability benefits you deserve for clubfoot in Pittsburgh, PA. Let us help prepare and file your claim or pursue an appeal on your behalf. We will evaluate your case for free.

Call us today at (412) 661-1400 to discuss your disability claim with a member of our Pittsburgh team.