Social Security Disability Benefits for Hemophilia and Bleeding Disorders

Hemophilia is an inherited disorder where you don't have enough clotting agents in your blood, causing you to bleed excessively even from a minor scrape or cut. In addition to the risk of heavy blood loss from small injuries, hemophilia can result in persistent nosebleeds, bloody gums, and excessive menstrual bleeding. The disorder can cause internal bleeding as well, primarily within the muscles, joints, and organs.

Hemophilia is a rare disorder—it's present in about 33,000 American men, according to the Centers for Disease Control, or CDC. (Hemophilia occurs much more frequently in men than in women.) Employees with hemophilia or a related bleeding disorder may be entitled to reasonable accommodations at work under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). But if your symptoms are severe enough to keep you from working full-time for at least one year, you should be aware of what it takes to qualify for Social Security disability benefits.

Is Hemophilia a Disability?

Hemophilia can be a disability if symptoms from the disorder cause significant functional limitations that prevent you from earning at or above the level of substantial gainful activity. That means you'll need to have extensive medical documentation of doctor's notes, tests, and lab results establishing severe hemophilia. CDC data suggests that among men with hemophilia, just over 4 out of 10 have the severe form of the disorder.

One thing your medical records should include is your specific diagnosis. There are three types of hemophilia (A, B, and C) based on the type of clotting factor affected.

• Hemophilia A is the most common kind of hemophilia, although it's still rare with a prevalence of about 12 in 10,000 males in the U.S. Hemophilia A results from a deficiency in clotting factor VIII.
• Hemophilia B is the second most common kind, occurring in about 4 in 100,000 American men. Hemophilia B is caused by a deficiency of clotting factor IX.
• Hemophilia C is the rarest form of an already rare disorder, affecting about 1 in 100,000 men and women. Hemophilia C results from a deficiency of clotting factor XI.

Your records should also contain evidence of treatment for hemophilia, which typically consists of intravenous injections of the deficient clotting factor. Doctors' clinical notes recording your symptoms and limitations from hemophilia should be provided back to your alleged onset date.

Is Thrombocytopenia a Disability?

Thrombocytopenia (THROM-bow-sigh-toe-PEEN-ee-ah) is a disorder where your bone marrow—the tissue within your bones that makes blood cells—doesn't produce enough platelets, cell fragments that help your blood coagulate and clot. Platelets are normally found at the rate of 150,000 to 450,000 per microliter of blood. If you have less than 150,000 platelets per microliter, you likely have thrombocytopenia.

Most cases of thrombocytopenia are mild, but platelet levels below 40,000 per microliter can be severe, with levels under 10,000 being potentially life-threatening. Symptoms of thrombocytopenia can range from easy bruising and excessive bleeding to intestinal or intracranial (within the skull) hemorrhaging. Treatments can include corticosteroid medications and blood transfusions. The more serious your symptoms are, the more likely that you'll qualify for disability benefits.

Is Von Willebrand Disease a Disability?

Like hemophilia, von Willebrand disease involves abnormal levels of a platelet clotting factor (the "von Willebrand factor"). Von Willebrand disease is the most common hereditary blood disorder, affecting about 1% of the general population. Unlike hemophilia, which is mainly found in men, von Willebrand disease occurs in both sexes at an equal frequency.

Von Willebrand disease typically causes only mild symptoms, and many people with the disorder might not even know they have it. Symptoms include easy bruising, frequent nosebleeds, and lengthy menstrual bleeding. Minor cases of the disease generally don't require treatment, so it's not likely to qualify for disability, but complications—while rare—such as anemia may be disabling, particularly if combined with another condition.

Social Security's Listings for Hematological Disorders

The Social Security Administration (SSA) maintains a "Blue Book" of medical conditions that the agency considers especially severe. If you have a disorder that meets the criteria of a Blue Book "listed impairment," the SSA can award you disability automatically without having to determine whether you're able to work anymore. Hemophilia and other bleeding disorders are typically evaluated under listing 7.08, Disorders of Thrombosis and Hemostasis, or listing 7.18, Repeated Complications of Hematological Disorders.

Qualifying for Disability by Meeting Listing 7.08

To meet listing 7.08, you must have had complications of a clotting or bleeding disorder requiring hospitalization at least three times within a one-year period. The hospitalizations must each last 48 hours or more and occur at least 30 days apart. Examples of complications that can result in hospitalizations include embolisms, thromboses, anemias, and uncontrolled bleeding requiring multiple-factor concentrate infusions or platelet transfusions.

While most coagulation defects cause excessive bleeding, hypercoagulation disorders—such as protein C or protein S deficiency and Factor V Leiden—can also meet this listing. The childhood listing for hemophilia, thrombosis, and hemostasis, listing 107.08, has the same listing requirements.

Qualifying for Disability by Meeting Listing 7.18

The SSA has another listing under hematological disorders you may be able to meet if you don't meet the listing requirements for clotting and bleeding disorders. For instance, your hemophilia may be largely under control due to prophylactic factor replacement therapy, but you still have episodes that have caused you to miss days of work. Listing 7.18 is for repeated complications of hematological disorders.

Complications that could qualify under this listing include hospitalizations, joint problems, pain, anemia, or severe fatigue. You must be able to prove that these complications have caused a marked (severe) limitation in your ability to perform your activities of daily living, interact with others appropriately, or complete tasks in a timely manner because of problems with pace, persistence, or focus.

Getting Disability for a Bleeding Disorder When You Can't Work

You can get benefits even if you don't meet one of the listings above via a medical-vocational allowance—in fact, this is the most common way that the SSA finds claimants to be disabled. Getting disability this way means that the agency has considered your age, education, work experience, and the functional limitations caused by your hemophilia and has determined that you're unable to return to your past work or any other job in the national economy.

As with the listing of impairments, you'll need to provide sufficient medical documentation to support your claim, including all relevant medical records. In cases involving bleeding disorders, blood tests and other objective evidence are incredibly important. You should ask your physician or treating specialist to provide a written opinion about your limitations or to complete a residual functional capacity form. A favorable opinion from a treating physician really can make the difference in whether your claim is approved or denied—as long as it includes the details of your limitations and not just a statement saying that you're disabled.

How Much Can I Get in Disability for Hemophilia?

The amount of your disability check doesn't depend on the type of disabling medical condition you have, so you won't get a set amount for having hemophilia or another blood disorder. Rather, the size of your monthly benefit depends on whether you're eligible to receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI). SSDI benefits are available to people who've paid into the program by way of payroll or self-employment taxes, while SSI is a needs-based program for people with limited resources regardless of work history.

If you qualify for SSDI, you can receive up to $4,018 per month (in 2025), but the average amount is much less, at $1,580. That's because SSDI benefits are calculated on how much you earned before you became disabled, which varies significantly from person to person. SSI benefits are set by the federal government every year ($967 per month in 2025), adjusted annually to account for increases in the cost of living. If you qualify for SSI, your monthly benefit will consist of this flat rate minus any countable income you have in that month.

What Happens If My Bleeding Disorder Doesn't Meet the Disability Criteria?

Getting disability benefits for hemophilia, thrombocytopenia, or von Willebrand disease isn't always a simple task. Before you apply for Social Security benefits, you'll want to make sure that you've exhausted all your other available resources, including requesting reasonable accommodations at work (such as modifications that can reduce your risk of getting cuts or bruises).

If you've already filed your claim and received a denial letter, you have the right to submit an appeal. You should review the letter to see the reasons why Social Security may have denied your application and address these issues in your appeal. At this stage, you should consider contacting an experienced disability lawyer if you haven't already. Your attorney can help you keep on top of appeal deadlines, formulate a theory of disability, and draft a persuasive brief for a disability judge. Disability attorneys don't get paid unless you win, so there's little risk in getting legal help for your appeal.