Can I Get Social Security Disability for Chronic Heart Failure?

Can I Get Social Security Disability for Chronic Heart Failure?

If you are disabled and unable to work due to chronic heart failure, you may qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. Heart failure is a chronic condition that tends to worsen over time and can impact one or both sides of your heart.

Social Security Listing 4.02

Social Security understands that chronic heart failure can be a disabling condition. The agency considers applications based on chronic heart failure under Listing 4.02. To qualify for disability under this listing, you must first meet several factors.

First, you must continue to suffer from heart failure while following a regimen of prescribed treatment. To that end, you must have the medically documented presence of one of the following during a period of stability:

  1. Systolic failure, with left ventricular end diastolic dimensions greater than 6.0 cm or an ejection fraction of 30% or less

OR

  1. Diastolic failure with left ventricular posterior wall plus septal thickness totaling at least 2.5 cm and an enlarged left atrium of at least 4.5 cm.

In addition, you must also meet one of the following requirements:

  1. Persistent symptoms of heart failure that “very seriously limit” your ability to independently initiate, sustain, or complete activities of daily living and where a medical professional has determined that an exercise test would present a significant risk to you.

OR

  1. Three or more separate episodes of acute congestive heart failure within a consecutive 12-month period. You must also have evidence of fluid retention during the episodes that required extended physician intervention. The episodes must be separated by periods of stabilization.

OR

  1. Inability to perform on an exercise tolerance test at a workload equivalent to 5 METs or less due to several specific findings.

I Don’t Meet the Listing!

If you do not meet the listing, you may still qualify for SSDI or SSI benefits. To prove that you are disabled and unable to work, you will need medical evidence that shows the severity of your impairment. Social Security will need reliable medical evidence from your doctors to show them that your condition limits you and prevents you from working.

Unfortunately, one of the most common reasons for a denial is not enough medical evidence. It is important that you keep a log of all doctors, hospitals, and clinics you have seen for your chronic heart failure, including any inpatient stays or hospitalizations.

If you do not meet the listing, Social Security will consider your residual functional capacity (RFC). Your RFC outlines your job restrictions and will be used to determine if you can go back to your past work. Your RFC is also used to determine whether there is other work available for you.

Jacksonville Social Security Attorney

If you have chronic heart failure and are unable to return to work in any capacity, contact a local attorney today. An attorney can help answer your questions or help you apply for disability.