Can I Get Social Security Disability for Ischemic Heart Disease?

Can I Get Social Security Disability for Ischemic Heart Disease?

If you are disabled and unable to work due to ischemic heart disease, you may qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. Ischemic heart disease is often diagnosed due to a buildup of cholesterol or plaque in the arteries that supply oxygen to the heart, which leads to blocked or constricted arteries. Over time, this can reduce the ability of your heart to pump blood throughout your body.

Social Security Listing 4.04

Social Security believes that ischemic heart disease can be a significant medical condition that leads to disability. The agency considers applications based on ischemic heart disease under Listing 4.04. This listing is not always easy to meet, however. In order to meet the listing, you must be diagnosed with ischemic heart disease while on a regimen of prescribed treatment with one of the following:

  1. Sign- or symptom-limited exercise tolerance test demonstrating certain manifestations at a workload equivalent to 5 METs or less.

OR

  1. Three separate ischemic episodes, each of which required revascularization or were not amenable to revascularization. These episodes must occur within a 12-month period.

OR

  1. Coronary artery disease that very seriously limits you in your ability to independently begin, sustain, or complete activities of daily living. You must also have angiographic evidence showing one of the following:
    1. 50% or greater narrowing of a nonbypassed left main coronary artery
    2. 70% or more narrowing of another nonbypassed coronary artery
    3. 50% or more narrowing involving a long (at least 1 cm) segment of a nonbypassed coronary artery
    4. 50% or more narrowing of at least two nonbypassed coronary arteries
    5. 70% or more narrowing of a bypass graft vessel.

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 ischemic heart disease, 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 been diagnosed with ischemic heart disease 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.