Getting Disability Benefits for Spinal Cord Injury or Paralysis

Your spinal cord is the core of your central nervous system, connecting your brain to the rest of your body. When your spinal cord is damaged, your body can have difficulty with basic movement, or can even stop being able to move entirely (paralysis). Most severe spinal cord problems are the result of trauma like injuries from automobile accidents, but infections, tumors, inflammatory diseases, and congenital disorders can also result in damage to the spine.

If you have symptoms from your spinal cord injury or limb paralysis that keep you from working regularly for at least one year, you may qualify for benefits from the Social Security Administration (SSA). Because spinal cord injuries are often permanent and cause significant functional limitations, they generally make a solid foundation on which you can establish eligibility for disability benefits. Before you apply, however, it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with the SSA’s evidentiary requirements and definition of disability.

What Causes Spinal Cord Injuries?

Your spinal cord contains nerve tissue, protected by bones called vertebrae, that lets electrical impulses travel from your brain up and down your back. The nerves branch off from your spinal cord into your arms and legs (called peripheral nerves), sending messages that let you move around and feel sensations. When a spinal cord injury causes damage to the nerves, these messages can get scrambled or lost entirely.

Doctors describe spinal cord injuries by referring to the location of the vertebra surrounding the damaged nerve. For example, a C-5 spinal cord injury means that the damaged nerve is found at the 5th vertebra of the cervical spine (your neck).

Does Spinal Cord Damage Mean You’ll Have Paralysis?

Injuries higher on the spinal cord are more likely to affect all limbs and cause paralysis in most of the body (people with these conditions are called tetraplegic or quadriplegic), while injuries lower on the spinal cord might cause paralysis from the waist down (paraplegic).

Not all spinal cord injuries result in paralysis, however. Depending on whether your injury is complete or incomplete, you could find it more difficult—but not impossible—to move your arms or legs. You might experience numbness, tingling, or loss of sensation in your affected limbs.

How Can I Get Disability Benefits for a Spinal Cord Injury?

Social Security recognizes that spinal cord damage can significantly reduce your mobility, interfering with your daily activities and ability to work full-time. If you can’t work at any job full-time for at least 12 months, you could qualify for disability benefits.

Provided that you meet the non-medical criteria for the type of disability benefit you’re applying for (SSDI or SSI), you can be found disabled in one of two ways—meet the requirements of a “listed impairment” or be unable to perform any type of job in the national economy.

Automatic Disability Benefits for Certain Spinal Cord Injuries and Paralysis

Social Security maintains a list of illnesses, injuries, and disorders (called the “Blue Book”) that the agency considers especially severe. If your medical record contains specific documentation that the SSA has already determined is enough to prove that you’re disabled (“meet a listing”), you’ll be awarded benefits without having to show that you can’t do any job.

Spinal cord injuries are one of the SSA’s listed impairments. Under Listing 11.08, in order to qualify for disability automatically, you need to show:

• complete loss of function of any part of the body due to a spinal cord injury, such as paralysis of a limb or organ
• extreme—but not total—loss of function in two of your extremities to the point that you can’t stand up, walk, or handle objects without help, or
• difficulty standing up, walking, and holding objects by yourself while also struggling with mental functions like remembering instructions and concentrating on tasks.

You’ll have to show that the above functional restrictions have been present for at least three months after you were diagnosed with a spinal cord injury in order to meet the listing. Make sure that your doctors know about any difficulties you’re having with focus or movement, and that your medical records include neurological exams and imaging studies.

If your medical records don’t contain the evidence required to meet Listing 11.08, you could still qualify for automatic disability under Listing 1.15, Disorders of the spine resulting in the compromise of a nerve root. Nerve roots are “compromised” when a physical object (such as a vertebra) compresses the nerve, making it harder to send messages to other parts of the body. To meet or equal the requirements of Listing 1.15, you need to show:

• symptoms of pain, tingling, or muscle fatigue in the part of the body affected by the nerve
• tests or examinations (such as a nerve conduction study) showing weakness, irritation, or decreased reflexes,
• objective imaging (MRI, X-ray, CT scan) showing the nerve compromise, and
• evidence that you can’t use both of your hands independently (for example, you need to use your hands to operate an assistive device like a walker).

Getting Disability Based on Reduced Functional Capacity as a Result of Spinal Cord Injury or Paralysis

Few disability claimants have the medical evidence required to meet or equal a listing. Most claimants are awarded benefits because they show that no jobs exist that they can perform with their current residual functional capacity (RFC).

Your RFC is a set of limitations that reflects the most you’re able to do, physically and mentally, in a work environment. For claimants with moderate spinal cord injuries, a typical RFC will include restrictions on the following:

• how long you can sit, stand, and walk for
• how much weight you can lift and carry
• whether you should avoid bending, kneeling, crouching, or crawling
• whether you can reach above, in front, or underneath to pick things up
• how frequently you can use your hands to move objects, and
• whether you can perform complex or simple tasks.

Social Security will first use your RFC to decide whether you can do any of the jobs you’ve performed in the past. If you can’t do your past work, the agency will then decide whether you can do any other jobs despite your limitations. If no jobs exist that you can perform with your RFC, the agency will find that you’re disabled and you’ll receive benefits. Here's an example:

The more limiting your restrictions are, the more likely no jobs will exist that you’ll be able to do. Social Security is required to consider every illness, condition, or impairment you have when deciding your RFC. For example, moderate depression and anxiety can affect your ability to complete tasks, get along with others, and deal with normal work stresses. If your record shows evidence of mental limitations, Social Security will take them into account when deciding if you can work.

Disability Benefit Amounts for Spinal Cord Injury or Paralysis

Social Security doesn’t make payments based on the kind of disability you have. Instead, how much you’ll receive depends on which type of benefit program you’re eligible for—Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI). SSDI eligibility depends on whether you have insured status based on your work history, and to receive SSI you need to have less than a certain amount of assets. You can learn more—and calculate your estimated benefit— in our article on SSDI and SSI monthly check amounts.

How to Apply for Disability Benefits

Social Security provides several easy ways for you to file for disability benefits:

• Apply online at Social Security’s website. This method has many benefits, such as giving you a dated receipt of your application and letting you start and finish at your own pace.
• Call 800-722-1213 between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m., Monday through Friday, to speak with a representative. If you’re deaf or hard of hearing, you can call the TTY number at 800-325-0778.
• Go in person to your nearest Social Security field office. Some locations require that you make an appointment first, so call ahead before you visit.

If you’re not sure which method to use, check out our article on the best way to apply for disability for more detailed information about each option.

What Happens If I Don’t Qualify?

Not everybody who applies for disability benefits is awarded on their first try. If, after reading over the denial letter, you disagree with the SSA’s decision, you have 60 days to submit an appeal. Social Security’s appeals process typically involves getting another denial before you can request a hearing with an administrative law judge.

You aren’t required to have an attorney to appeal a denial, but it’s usually a good idea. An experienced disability lawyer or advocate can help you gather the proper medical paperwork, make sure you don’t miss important deadlines, and represent you at a disability hearing. And because disability lawyers aren’t allowed to charge you if you don't win—and they’re limited to a small percentage of your disability backpay if you do win—there’s little risk in finding a lawyer near you to help with your claim.