Disability Benefits Based on Bone Spurs

Bone spurs (also called osteophytes) are growths caused by pressure, rubbing, or stress to a bone. They commonly develop as we age. Many people who have bone spurs are unaware of them unless they’re discovered when being X-rayed for something else. However, if the bone spur is rubbing on other bones, ligaments, tendons, or nerves, it can make movements painful.

If pain from bone spurs causes limitations that keep you from working full-time for at least one year, you may qualify for Social Security disability benefits (SSDI or SSI). Before you apply, it’s a good idea to become familiar with the basics of the disability determination process and what medical evidence you’ll need to provide in order to be considered disabled.

When Can You Get Disability for Bone Spurs?

The Social Security Administration (SSA) awards disability benefits to people who have a medically determinable impairment that prevents them from earning substantial gainful activity for twelve months or longer. Bone spurs are a medically determinable impairment—meaning you can see them on objective imaging, like X-rays—but they can only be disabling if they significantly interfere with your ability to work on a regular basis. That means to qualify for disability benefits for bone spurs, you’ll need to have functional limitations stemming from the bone spurs (or a related condition).

What Functional Limitations Do Bone Spurs Cause?

Symptoms of bone spurs will depend on where in the body the bone spur has grown. Below are some of the areas most commonly affected by bone spurs and work-related functional limitations that can occur as a result.

• Hands. Bone spurs can make the joints in your fingers look like they have bumps on them. Pain from the spurs can cause difficulties in typing or grasping objects or typing.
• Hip. Bone spurs in your hip can reduce the length of time you can walk, stand, or sit.
• Knees. Bone spurs in your knee can make it hard to bend the joint, affecting your ability to walk or stand upright.
• Feet. Bone spurs can cause redness and swelling in your foot, which may require the need to sit down or elevate your leg to relieve pain.
• Shoulder. Bone spurs can rub against your rotator cuff (shoulder joint) and cause swelling or tearing of the joint. You might find it hard to lift objects or raise your arms.
• Spine. Bone spurs can narrow your spinal canal and pinch nerves in your spinal cord, causing weakness or numbness in your arms or legs.

It’s important to document your limitations with your doctor, physical therapist, or other medical providers. Because not everybody with bone spurs has symptoms from them, the SSA needs to see from your medical records that your bone spurs cause limitations that affect your ability to work.

How Can You Get Disability for Bone Spurs?

Depending on how severe your bone spurs are (including any additional impairments or complications you’re receiving treatment for), you can get disability either by meeting the requirements of a listed impairment or through a medical-vocational allowance. “Meeting a listing” means that your condition is severe enough to be automatically disabling, while a medical-vocational allowance means that no jobs exist that you can do despite your condition.

Keep in mind that the two disability programs, Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI), have their own financial eligibility requirements that you’ll need to establish before you can qualify for benefits. So even if you meet a listed impairment or are unable to work, if you don’t meet the “technical” requirements for SSDI or SSI, you won’t be able to receive benefits.

Getting Disability By Meeting a Listing

Bone spurs aren’t themselves a listed impairment, but you may be able to meet (or equal) the criteria for one of the following listings for musculoskeletal or immune system disorders:

• Listing 1.15 for disorders of the spine. You may meet this listing if you have diagnostic imaging showing that the bone spur is pushing on a nerve root in your back such that you’re essentially unable to effectively use the limb associated with the affected nerve.
• Listing 1.18 for major joint abnormalities. You can meet this listing if the bone spur is located on your shoulder, elbow, “wrist-hand”, hip, knee, or “ankle-foot” and you can’t walk properly or use your arms effectively as a result.
• Listing 14.09 for inflammatory arthritis. You may meet this listing if arthritis caused your bone spurs, as well as having repeated “flare-ups” of symptoms, a hunched posture as a result of fused spinal bones, severe inflammation in at least two organs and a joint, or joint inflammation so severe that you can’t move your arms or legs independently.

If you think you may meet one of the above listings, consider asking your doctor to provide a medical source statement explaining how your symptoms match the criteria of a listing. The SSA values the opinions of doctors who’ve seen you regularly and can shed some light on the limitations caused by your impairment.

Getting Disability Through a Medical-Vocational Allowance

Getting benefits by meeting a listing is challenging, but even if you don’t meet a listing, you can still be awarded benefits if you’re unable to perform any job as a result of your bone spurs. In order to decide whether you can work, Social Security will need to assess residual functional capacity (RFC). Your RFC is a set of restrictions—found in your medical record and activities of daily living questionnaire—about what you can and can’t do in a work environment.

For example, bone spurs can cause reduced range of motion in the joints and numbness in the limbs. This can make it difficult for you to perform basic exertional (strength-related) tasks such as lifting objects and walking around. Bone spurs located in the shoulders or arms can affect your ability to do even sit-down jobs if you’re having trouble moving your arms and fingers. And pain from bone spurs anywhere in the body can distract you from focusing on work and keep you from performing job tasks on time.

Social Security uses your RFC to determine whether you’re able to return to your past work. If you can still perform the type of jobs you’ve done before, the agency can’t find you disabled. But if you’re no longer able to do your past work, the SSA will then need to see whether you can do any other, less demanding jobs. If no easier jobs exist that you could regularly do given your age, education, and work history, then Social Security will award you disability benefits.

How Much Is Disability for Bone Spurs?

Social Security doesn’t pay benefits based on the type of disability you have, so there’s no difference in award amount for bone spurs compared with any other medical condition. Rather, the amount of money you’ll receive depends on whether you’re eligible for SSDI or SSI. You can learn more (and calculate your estimated benefit amount) in our article on SSDI and SSI monthly check amounts.

How Do I File for Disability Benefits?

Applying for SSDI or SSI is a fairly straightforward process. You can choose from one of the methods below to begin your claim.

• One easy way is to file online. You don’t have to complete the application in one sitting, and you’ll get a tracking number so you can check the status of your claim.
• You can also apply over the phone by calling Social Security at 800-772-1213 (TTY 800-325-0778) 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday.
• If you prefer to file in person, you can schedule an appointment with a representative at your local Social Security field office.

Keep in mind that while few disability applicants are awarded benefits on their first try, you have the right to appeal a denial. Most people who are awarded disability don’t get approved until after a hearing with an administrative law judge, a process that can take about a year (or more, in some cases.)

Do I Need a Lawyer?

You aren’t required to get legal assistance during any part of the disability application process, but it’s often a smart move. An experienced lawyer can help you gather the evidence you need to show that you’re disabled and can handle communications with Social Security so that you don’t miss any important appeal deadlines. Disability attorneys work on contingency (meaning they get paid only if you win) and many offer free consultations, so it doesn’t hurt to ask around to find a lawyer you like.