Social Security Disability & Cystic Fibrosis: Benefits & Filing

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is hereditary disease  that causes excessive, thick mucus in the lungs and pancreas. The mucus in the lungs increases the chances of lung infections and causes breathing difficulties, which cause some young adults with cystic fibrosis to die of pulmonary or heart failure. Symptoms of cystic fibrosis in the lungs include productive coughing, high blood pressure, and pulmonary hypertension.

In addition, excessive mucus in the digestive tract can prevent CF patients from getting proper nutrition from their food, and they also lose minerals through their sweat.

Disability Benefits for Cystic Fibrosis

As patients with CF become young adults, many have increased lung infections or difficulties breathing. The Social Security Administration (SSA) recognizes the seriousness of this condition and will automatically approve disability benefits for cystic fibrosis sufferers who have frequent lung infections or poor lung function, as proven on spirometry tests.

To qualify for automatic approval of benefits, you must have one of the following:

• Poor breathing test. Spirometry test results that show an FEV1 of between 1.45 and 2.05, depending on your height. (FEV1 is how much air you can exhale in one second.)
• Pulmonary exacerbations. Recurring episodes of coughing up blood, pneumonia, bronchitis, or respiratory failure that require medical attention. The episodes must occur every other month or at least six times per year.
• Chronic infections. Chronic lung infection with increased bacterial infections recurring at least once every six months that require antibacterial treatment intravenously or by nebulizer.

Qualifying Because of Doctor's Restrictions

There is a way to get disability benefits even if you don’t meet the above requirements because your respiratory infections aren't as frequent as required for automatic disability approval or your lung function has not deteriorated to 2.05 or below.

If your doctor has said that you need to take frequent rest breaks; not lift more than a certain amount of weight; avoid temperature extremes, dust, and fumes; or need to have daily or weekly percussion therapy or nebulization, this limits the types of jobs you can do. The SSA will put all of your restrictions into a residual functional capacity (RFC) assessment and then evaluate whether there is any work you can be expected to do with your limitations. If there isn't, you'll be awarded disability benefits. Learn more about how the SSA decides when you can't work due to doctor's restrictions.

SSDI and SSI Eligibility

Social Security administers two disability programs: SSDI and SSI. To be eligible for SSDI benefits, you must have worked a certain number of years, depending on your age, and paid into the Social Security system. Learn more about SSDI eligibility.

For SSI benefits, you must not have too much income or assets (and the SSA will count part of your family's income and assets if you live at home). Learn more about SSI eligibility.

In addition, for either SSDI or SSI, you can't earn more than $1,010 or more per month by working.