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Many individuals who are considering filing for social security disability (SSD) or supplemental security income (SSI) question whether their medical condition qualifies them to receive disability benefits. In other words, how does the social security administration define disability, and what types of impairments qualify an individual for receive benefits? The short answer to this question is, just about any medical condition, physical or mental, could be considered a disability if the claimant can show, through solid documentation and medical records that 1) it prevents the claimant from performing their present job, 2) it prevents the claimant from obtaining other work for which he or she may be qualified, and 3) it is unlikely to improve, even with medical treatment, within the next 12 months. It is true that there is a social security impairment book, commonly referred to as the “blue book,” which lists impairments (and disability criteria that must be met to prove those impairments) which social security recognizes as disabilities. However, there are many cases in which people are diagnosed with a condition listed in the social security impairment listing book but are turned down for benefits. On the other hand, there are many medical conditions not listed in the blue book, such as chronic fatigue, carpal tunnel syndrome, depression, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, chronic back pain, etc., for which many people are awarded SSD or SSI benefits. The reason for this seeming contradiction is that social security bases its decision, not on the physical or mental condition from which a claimant suffers, but on how this condition affects a claimant’s ability to work for which they are qualified. In order to determine this, social security will evaluate all information contained in the medical and work histories supplied by a claimant to form an opinion on the claimant’s residual functional capacity (RFC). This is why it is so very important to supply a complete, well-organized medical and work history to the social security claims rep when you first file a claim, and to then keep your disability examiner informed of the results of any new medical tests or prescriptions you have taken as your case progresses. The disability examiner in your case will base the decision entirely on information contained in these documents. After evaluating a claim, a disability examiner fills out an RFC form that provides details of the claimant’s physical (or mental) restrictions that are a result of their disability. The RFC form will list activities that a claimant can no longer perform, such as heavy lifting, sitting for long hours, concentrating for long periods of time, etc., and will also list activities that a claimant can still perform in spite of his or her disability. The purpose of the RFC form is to help the examiner decide if a claimant is still able to earn a living wage. Of course, when determining this, an examiner must take into account several other factors, such as a claimant’s age, prior experience, education, etc. In other words, the examiner cannot recommend that someone who has worked in construction now earn a living as a microbiologist, nor can they say that a 50-year-old can do physical work more suited to a 20-year-old. However, in most cases an RFC is used by a disability examiner to support his or her opinion that a claimant can still work—an average of 70 percent of all disability claims filed in this country each year are denied by the state disability determination services (DDS) agency. So, although the short answer is that any condition can potentially qualify for disability benefits, the long answer is that all disability applicants must demonstrate through solid medical documentation not that they suffer from a specific condition, but that they are no longer able to earn a living, and that is what makes the disability determination process so difficult. 
Social Security Disability and SSI Disability Information
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