If you have a fracture of a bone in your upper extremity and are unable to work, you may qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. Once you submit your application for disability, Social Security will evaluate your condition and medical records in accordance with the listings found in the Blue Book.
Social Security Listing
Social Security evaluates upper extremity fractures under listing 1.07. To meet the listing found in the Blue Book, you should have medical records that outline your condition as well as the limitations that you now have, as a result of the fracture.
You can meet this listing if you have a nonunion of a fracture of the shaft of the humerus, radius, or ulna, and are under continuing surgical management. Continuing surgical management may include factors such as additional post-surgical procedures, complications from the surgery, infections, and other medical complications that delay your maximum benefit from therapy and the surgery.
In addition, you must not have functional use of your upper extremity and the functional use must not be expected to return within 12 months of the onset of your disability.
I Don’t Meet a Listing!
If you don’t meet the listing, you still may qualify for SSDI or SSI benefits. In this case, you will need medical records that show that you will be unable to work for at least twelve months, based on your condition, symptoms, medication side effects, or treatment schedule.
To prove your case, you will need the imaging reports taken of the fracture; a detailed history of your treatments (including any operative reports and physical therapy notes); and information on the types of medication you take.
If you have a nonunion of a fracture in one of your upper extremities and are unable to work due to your condition, contact a local attorney today if you have any questions.