Disability for Nerve Root Damage and Radiculopathy

One of the most common sources of back pain involves compression of nerve roots, the parts of the nerves that branch directly from your spinal cord. Your spinal cord contains nerves that run from the base of your neck to your lower back and transmit signals from your brain to the rest of your body. When these nerve roots are pressed on, pinched, or otherwise damaged, they become inflamed, causing pain in your spine and limbs corresponding with the affected nerve. In medical terms, this is known as radiculopathy.

Pinched nerves in your neck can cause cervical radiculopathy, named after the segment of your upper back called the cervical spine. Lumbar radiculopathy—also known as lumbago with sciatica—occurs when a nerve root in your lower back (lumbar spine) is compressed, causing pain in the sciatic nerve that runs down both legs. Cervical radiculopathy can result in difficulty using your arms and hands, while lumbar radiculopathy may make it hard to stand, walk, and sit.

Is Sciatica or Radiculopathy From Nerve Root Compression a Disability?

Severe lumbar or cervical radiculopathy can cause serious symptoms that can make it difficult to work full-time. Pain in your lower back and legs can reduce your ability to sit, stand, and walk, while neck and arm pain may keep you from lifting even lightweight objects.

If you're unable to work for at least one year due to symptoms of radiculopathy, you can apply for disability benefits from the Social Security Administration (SSA). Under the agency's definition of disability, you'll qualify for benefits in one of two ways—either by meeting the medical requirements of a listed impairment or by having functional limitations that rule out all jobs.

Getting Disability Under Blue Book Listing 1.15 for Compromise of a Nerve Root

Listed impairments are medical conditions that Social Security considers especially severe. If you've been diagnosed with an impairment in the Blue Book and you can provide medical evidence showing that you meet the requirements of the listed impairment, the SSA will award you disability benefits automatically, without needing to determine whether any jobs exist that you can still do.

People who have lumbar or cervical radiculopathy caused by nerve root compression may be able to meet listing 1.15, Disorders of the skeletal spine resulting in compromise of a nerve root(s). In order to meet the listing, you'll need medical documentation of all of the following:

• pain, numbness, or fatigue in the part of your body affected by the pinched nerve
• muscle weakness and signs of nerve compression that can be seen on physical examination or diagnostic tests, along with sensory changes or reduced reflexes
• an MRI, X-ray, CT, or radionuclide scan showing that your nerve root is being compromised (meaning irritated, inflamed, or compressed), and
• you can't use both hands, whether due to nerve root compression or because you need to operate an assistive device (like a walker or a wheelchair).

The criteria listed above must be present at the same time or within a "close proximity of time," typically meaning 4 months (12 months during the "pandemic period" beginning April 2, 2021 and ending on May 11, 2025). So if you had evidence of symptoms, signs, and functional limitations from lumbar radiculopathy in 2020 but didn't have an MRI until 2024, Social Security might not count the MRI—unless, in a doctor's opinion, the MRI findings could be reasonably expected to have been present in 2020.

Getting a Medical-Vocational Allowance for Nerve Root Damage

Not many people with neck pain or sciatica will be able to meet the strict requirements of listing 1.15—if you don't rely on an ambulatory aid, for example, you won't meet the listing. But you can still qualify for disability benefits if you can show that your back pain symptoms keep you from working not only at your past jobs, but any other jobs in the national economy. In Social Security lingo, this is called a "medical-vocational allowance".

To determine whether you can work, Social Security will review your medical records, doctors' opinions, and daily activities to assess your residual functional capacity (RFC). Your RFC is a set of restrictions, physical and mental, on what you can still do in a work environment despite your nerve damage.

What's In Your RFC?

People with back pain will have an RFC that contains restrictions on how much weight they can lift or how long they can stand or walk. These restrictions are called "exertional limitations". Social Security divides exertional limitations into five categories that correspond to job duties. For example, if you're physically able to lift and carry 10 pounds and sit for six hours in an eight hour workday, your RFC will restrict you to "sedentary" (sit-down) work. But if you can be on your feet all day and lift over 100 pounds, your RFC will say that you can do "very heavy" work.

The more severe your radiculopathy is, the more limitations you'll have in your RFC. Most people with mild to moderate back pain will have an RFC that restricts them to light or sedentary work. But if you can't sit for an hour without needing to elevate your legs to relieve pain or you have numbness in your hands that keeps you from typing for longer than 15 minutes, your RFC will contain additional non-exertional limitations that can rule out even sit-down work.

How Does Social Security Use Your RFC?

Social Security compares the restrictions in your current RFC with the demands of your past relevant work to see if you could do those jobs today. If not, the agency will then need to determine if any other work exists that you could perform, despite the limitations in your RFC.

For disability applicants under the age of 50, this generally means you'll need to show that you can't do the simplest sit-down jobs (like small-parts assembler) before you can qualify for benefits. That's because the agency assumes that younger people can switch to sedentary jobs fairly smoothly even if they've never done that type of work before, so you'll need an RFC for "less-than-sedentary" work to get benefits as a younger individual.

Applicants 50 years of age and older, however, may have an easier time getting disability under a special set of rules called the medical-vocational grid. Under the grid rules, Social Security will consider factors such as your age, education, and skill set to determine whether you could be expected to switch to a less physically demanding line of work before you hit full retirement age. So even if you could sit at a desk all day, if you're 56 and have only done skilled labor, the agency is unlikely to find that your skills transfer to desk work—and you'll be awarded benefits.

Medical Evidence You Need to Get Disability For Lumbar or Cervical Radiculopathy

Your medical records are the foundation of your disability claim. The SSA can't award you benefits, whether by meeting a listing or through a medical-vocational allowance, if you haven't seen a doctor or followed up on treatment. Therefore, it's best not to apply for disability benefits until you have the following types of evidence:

• notes from a physical examination, including your cervical and lumbar range of motion
• the results of an X-ray, MRI, CT scan, or other medical imaging
• physical therapy records
• prescription medications you've taken, whether they're effective, and any side effects
• admission and discharge notes from any hospitalizations, and
• medical source statements from your primary physician or back specialist.

In addition to providing your most current medical records, you can help strengthen your claim with statements from your friends, family, and former employers with first-hand accounts of how they've seen your back condition affect your work performance and activities of daily living.

The SSA can ask you to attend a consultative examination (on the agency's dime) if more evidence is needed to help decide your claim. Be sure to go to your consultative exam—failing to appear can mean that your application is denied. If you're not sure whether you can make the scheduled date and time, call the SSA to reschedule.

How Much Can I Get in Disability Benefits for Sciatica?

The amount of your disability benefits doesn't depend on the type of disabling condition you have—you can get the same amount for nerve damage as you would for depression. Instead, the size of your monthly payment is based on the type of disability program (SSDI or SSI) you qualify for.

SSDI is provided to people who have enough work credits to be insured after they become unable to work. You earn work credits by paying into the disability insurance program by way of payroll or self-employment taxes. In 2024, the maximum SSDI benefit you can receive is $3,822 per month, but because SSDI eligibility is based on your wage history—which varies greatly between recipients—the average benefit is much smaller, at $1,537 per month.

SSI isn't based on your employment history. Instead, you're eligible for SSI if you have income and assets below a certain (low) threshold. For 2024, you can receive a maximum of $943 per month in SSI benefits, minus any countable income you have in that month. Some states offer modest supplemental payments for residents who receive SSI.

How to Apply for Disability for Nerve Compression

Filing an application for disability benefits is a relatively straightforward process. If you're filing for SSDI, you can complete the entire claim online using Social Security's web portal. Currently, SSI claims can get started online, but a representative will contact you to complete the application over the phone or in person.

Both types of claims can be filed by calling the Social Security hotline at 800-772-1213 (TTY 800-325-0778) 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday. Or you can visit your local Social Security field office to get help with your claim. Some offices require that you make an appointment before you visit, so it doesn't hurt to call ahead to check.

Getting Legal Help With Your Disability Claim

If you'd like assistance with your application, consider hiring an experienced disability attorney. Your lawyer can help identify weak spots in your claim and work with you to fill in any gaps (for example, missing medical evidence). Additionally, your attorney can correspond with the SSA to make sure you keep on top of any appeal deadlines and—perhaps most importantly—represent you at a disability hearing.

Having a lawyer increases your odds of winning your disability claim. And because disability attorneys work on contingency—meaning they don't get paid unless you win your case—you'll have little, if any, out-of-pocket costs. Most disability lawyers offer free consultations, so you can ask around to find one you feel comfortable working with.