Is Lupus a Disability for Social Security in Baltimore, VA and DC?

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What to Do First if You Need Social Security Disability for Lupus

When the effects of lupus force you off work, and you’re thinking about claiming your Social Security Disability benefits, here is what you should do first:

Talk to your doctors about the ways lupus limits your daily activities. Get them to document it in medical reports.

Get a health evaluation from a specialist—particularly a rheumatologist.

Gather your medical records, including summaries of doctor visits and medical test results.

Apply for Social Security Disability benefits as soon as you know you can’t work anymore.

Talk to a disability advocate to help with your claim. Getting disability for lupus comes with special challenges. Someone experienced will know what to do.

Dealing with lupus and Social Security Disability is tricky for many reasons: other people don’t understand your condition, it’s difficult to document symptoms like fatigue and pain, you have good days and bad days, your condition can improve and worsen over time.

But you shouldn’t wait to apply for disability benefits. The wait for benefits takes months or over a year. When you’re approved in the end, you receive a lump sum of back benefits calculated based on how long you waited. It’s best to get the process started and the clock ticking right away.

When you can’t work because of lupus, Social Security Disability benefits can be a major financial relief.

Talk to Mathis & Mathis Disability Advocates. We’ve helped thousands of people, including many with lupus and other autoimmune diseases, win disability benefits.

People in Baltimore, Northern Virginia, Washington, D.C., and throughout Maryland, Virginia, Delaware and Pennsylvania come to us for support qualifying for Social Security Disability.

To get a professional advocate working on your case, you pay no fee until you win benefits.

Social Security Disability Is All We Do.

Special Challenges Getting Lupus Disability Benefits

Lupus and Social Security Disability are complicated because of the way Social Security defines what it means to have a “disability.”

So can you get disability for lupus? You can. Lupus is an impairment that can qualify for benefits. But it’s not just about having a lupus diagnosis. It’s about how lupus interferes with your ability to work.

You have to overcome some special challenges proving your lupus is a disability for Social Security:

Family and friends may not understand how sick you are. Now you have to get it across to strangers evaluating your case.

You need to document symptoms that aren’t visible, like pain, fatigue and brain fog.

You need to establish how, despite ups and downs in your symptoms, the disruptions are enough that you can’t work at all.

Sometimes medical test results don’t show severe effects of lupus, even though you feel unable to function.

If lupus prevents you from doing physical work, you may still have to prove you can’t concentrate well enough for desk work.

You need to document not just the symptoms of your lupus, but side effects of medications you take for it.

You need to stick with regular treatment, or Social Security may conclude your case isn’t serious enough.

You don’t have to just wonder, “In my case, is lupus a disability for Social Security?”

You can get an evaluation of your lupus disability case from advocates who’ve worked with the system for years.

The team at Mathis & Mathis Disability Advocates can let you know what you’ll need for your lupus disability claim, which challenges you may have to overcome in your application, what to expect from the process, and what to do next.

There’s no charge to tell us about your situation and get our assessment of your options.

Get a FREE lupus disability claim consultation with Mathis & Mathis.

Tips for Claiming Social Security Disability for Lupus

These are some of the key details to put into your Social Security Disability application for lupus:

Documentation of symptoms like fatigue, malaise, and unplanned weight loss

Documentation of major problems with body systems, which can include respiratory, cardiovascular, skin and neurological (such as seizures)

Medical confirmation of immune system disorders such as inflammatory arthritis

Records of mental health issues including anxiety, mood disorders, “lupus fog” and psychosis

A medical history

Physical examination reports

Lab test findings

Medical imaging

Tissue biopsy reports

You also need to get an assessment of your everyday functioning called your “residual functional capacity,” or RFC, which your doctor does for you.

Your RFC covers abilities like sitting for long periods, standing, walking, reaching objects, grasping objects, lifting, carrying, climbing, following directions, concentrating on tasks and working with others.

Your lupus disability evidence also can include statements from people who personally know you who aren’t medical experts but can testify about how lupus impacts your life.

A skilled disability advocate guides your doctors and your family and friends in providing the right kinds of information for your disability claim.

To get disability benefits, you also must meet work history and financial requirements:

You have worked in the past and paid enough taxes to be eligible for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits for workers.

Or you have limited financial resources, like savings and investments, for Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

You are not currently working and earning more than a limited amount.

Lupus is draining enough without having to wrestle with a long, complicated application to get financial relief.

Your disability advocate lightens your burden.

At Mathis & Mathis, let us do the legwork, so you can get the best possible chance of winning benefits and reaching a new, more secure chapter in your life.

Contact us for help with disability benefits for lupus.

Applying or Appealing, We Can Help

Whether you’re in the initial stages of applying, appealing a denial of benefits, or wondering if you qualify, Mathis & Mathis can help.

Social Security Disability FAQs

Because applying for Social Security Disability benefits can be complicated, you likely have many questions about the process. Here are some answers to frequently asked questions.

Disability FAQs »

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