Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a condition that causes your immune system to attack the membranes surrounding your joints, causing painful swelling and inflammation. It usually starts in the hand and feet joints and later progresses to other areas, including the wrists, knees, hips, and shoulders. Although your chances of getting RA increase with age, children can also be diagnosed with a form of the disorder. Other contributing factors include sex (women are at a higher risk of RA), smoking, obesity, and genetics.
Symptoms of RA include swollen or stiff joints, fatigue, fever, and appetite loss. Firm lumps, called rheumatoid nodules, can form around the affected joints, limiting motion. Over time, RA can cause bone loss, joint deformity, and inflammation in the lungs, heart, and blood vessels. Doctors don't yet have a cure for RA, but the disorder can be managed with treatments such as physical therapy, medications, and surgery to repair damaged joints.
If your rheumatoid arthritis causes severe functional limitations that keep you from working full-time for at least one year, you should be able to get Social Security disability. You can qualify for benefits either by meeting the requirements of a Blue Book listing or by being unable to perform any jobs on a consistent basis.
Social Security considers certain medical conditions (the "Listing of Impairments") to be especially severe—so much so that if you meet the requirements of a listed impairment, you'll qualify for disability automatically, without needing to show that no jobs exist that you can do.
The agency can evaluate applications ("claims") for disability based on RA under listing 14.09 for inflammatory arthritis. The listing is pretty complex, but does provide several methods for a claimant with RA to qualify for benefits automatically. Specifically, your records must contain evidence of one of the following "bundles" of medical signs and symptoms:
Because listing 14.09 is so technical, you should consider asking your physician or rheumatologist to go over the listing requirements with you to see whether you meet them. If your doctor thinks that you qualify for disability under listing 14.09, ask if they'd be willing to complete a medical source statement to that effect. Social Security values the opinions of doctors who've treated you for a long time and have special insight into the nature of your RA.
If you have RA but don't meet any of the strict criteria above from the listing for inflammatory arthritis, you could still qualify for disability benefits if Social Security finds you're unable to do any consistent, full-time work. The process by which the agency evaluates your ability to work is called assessing your residual functional capacity (RFC). Your RFC is a set of restrictions that represent the maximum amount of activities you're physically and mentally able to do at a job.
Your RFC will likely contain exertional (strength-related) limitations on how much weight you can lift and carry as well as how long you can sit, stand, and walk. Social Security divides exertional limitations into five categories—sedentary, light, medium, heavy, or very heavy—ranging from most to least restrictive. Somebody who is physically capable of lifting 20 pounds and standing for most of the day will have an RFC for light work, while someone who can't lift more than 10 pounds and needs to remain seated for the majority of the workday will have an RFC for sedentary work.
Your RFC can also include non-exertional limitations that further restrict the types of jobs you can do. For example, if you have rheumatoid arthritis in your shoulders, you might not be able to reach overhead. Swelling and pain in your fingers can limit the amount of activities involving fine manipulation (like typing or pressing buttons) you can do. Needing to frequently change positions from sitting to standing or standing to reclining also reduces the number of jobs you can perform.
Here's an example of an RFC that Social Security might give a disability claimant who has extensive, painful rheumatoid arthritis:
The more severe your RA symptoms are, the more restrictions you'll have in your RFC. If you can't sit or stand for more than two hours in a workday because of inflamed and painful joints, Social Security will likely give you a sedentary RFC, limiting you to sit-down jobs. Any additional limitations in your RFC will "erode the occupational base" of sedentary work. If these limitations are significant enough that no jobs remain that you can safely perform, Social Security will award you disability benefits.
Social Security will first compare your RFC with the demands of your past relevant work to determine whether you could still do that job today. If you can return to your past jobs, the agency won't find that you're disabled, and will deny your claim. But if you can't do your past work, Social Security still needs to see whether there are any other jobs you can do despite the limitations in your current RFC.
Claimants who can perform a "full range" (meaning they don't have any non-exertional limitations) of sedentary work are unlikely to get approved for benefits because Social Security will say there are some jobs they can do, like small parts assembler. But claimants over the age of 50 might qualify for benefits even if they can do the full range of sedentary jobs because the agency doesn't always expect that they can switch to a new occupation. For more information, see our article on the medical-vocational rules.
The base upon which Social Security evaluates your claim is your medical evidence. Your medical evidence includes clinical notes from your doctors, hospital admission and discharge summaries from any surgical procedures, a list of your prescribed medications, and notes from your visits for physical therapy or vocational rehabilitation.
Social Security uses the information contained in the most recent edition of the Primer on Rheumatoid Arthritis, published by the Arthritis Foundation, when evaluating RA disability claims. In general, to get disability for RA, your records must reflect the following:
If Social Security needs more information about your RA, you may be asked to attend an independent consultative examination (on the agency's dime). But because consultative exams are snapshots of your physical health, they can't provide a comprehensive assessment of your symptoms and limitations. Having the above medical records in your case file provides supportive evidence of your disability even if the examining doctor catches you on a good day.
Social Security doesn't provide statistics on the number of claimants approved specifically for RA. But according to the agency's most recent Annual Statistical Reports, as of December 2023, around 30% of people receiving SSDI benefits and 12% of people on SSI were approved based on musculoskeletal and connective tissue diseases, a broad category that includes rheumatoid arthritis. This category represents the most awarded diagnostic group by far. (In comparison, claims for the second most commonly awarded diagnostic group—nervous system and sense organ disorders—were approved about 10% of the time).
Even if you have a strong case for disability based on your RA, Social Security will still probably deny your initial application—only about 37% of applications are initially approved, so it's likely that you'll need to appeal. Below are some tips to help improve your chances of getting benefits.
For more information on how you can increase your odds at every level of the Social Security appeals process, see our articles covering additional tips for winning your disability case.
Social Security payments aren't calculated according to the kind of disabling medical condition you have. If you're awarded benefits for rheumatoid arthritis, you'll receive the same amount as you would if you had bipolar disorder or congestive heart failure. Instead, your monthly payment will depend on the type of benefit you're approved for—Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
SSDI eligibility is based on your work history and earnings record. For 2025, the maximum monthly amount you can receive in SSDI is $4,018. However, the average monthly benefit paid to SSDI recipients is much lower, at around $1,580. This is because your actual benefit check is calculated from your average lifetime wages, which varies significantly between individuals.
SSI eligibility is based on having income and assets below a certain (low) threshold. In 2025, you can get up to $967 per month in SSI, minus any countable income you have for that month. Some states also offer modest supplemental benefits for SSI recipients. While Social Security doesn't offer a special living allowance for people with rheumatoid arthritis, if you're on SSI, you may also qualify for other benefits, such as help paying for housing or assisted living costs.
Filling an application for disability benefits is fairly straightforward. You have several methods available to apply for SSDI or SSI benefits. Many people prefer to file online using Social Security's web portal, but you can also call 800-772-1213 (TTY 800-325-0778) to speak with a representative or go in person to your local Social Security field office.
Once your application is complete, Social Security sends your file to your state's Disability Determination Services (DDS) office. Here, a claims examiner will request and review your medical records and may call you for an interview or send you additional paperwork to complete. When the examiner feels that your file has sufficient evidence to make a decision, Social Security will notify you of the decision by mail. This normally takes three to four months but could take longer.
If you receive a denial letter and your condition has worsened, or you think your case is strong enough to win an appeal, consider contacting an experienced disability lawyer. Social Security is more likely to approve your claim when you have legal representation. From your initial application all the way up to a hearing in front of an administrative law judge, your attorney will know how to present your case in the most favorable light. And because most disability lawyers work on contingency, you'll have little, if any, up-front costs.
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