Medical Conditions and Social Security Disability Claims

I am frequently asked what someone's chances are of winning a Social Security disability claim if they have a certain medical condition. You can be found disabled for almost any medical condition if it is severe enough and limits your ability to work to the required degree. However, in this post I will discuss some of the most common medical conditions that are awarded SSDI and SSI benefits. The most common medical conditions found in people who are awarded SSDI benefits are in the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue category. As of 2010, this category amounted to 32.5% of people awarded benefits had a musculoskeletal or connective tissue condition. This category includes conditions of the lumbar spine, thoracic spine, cervical spine, arthritis of the joints, amputations, soft tissue injuries and many more. According to the same report, mental disorders were found in 21.4% of those awarded SSDI or SSI benefits. The mental disorders can be broken down further into different types of mental medical conditions. Mood disorders amounted to 11.2% and this includes depression and bipolar disorder. Organic mental disorders amounted to 2.9% this includes mental disorders such as dementia and mental retardation and can be caused by traumatic brain injury, strokes, brain tumors, and getting older. Schizophrenic and other psychotic disorders was 2.1% of those awarded benefits. This category includes among others schizophrenia. Intellectual disability is 1.8% with autistic disorders, developmental disorders, childhood and adolescent disorder not elsewhere classified, and other mental conditions amounting to the remaining 3.4%. So musculoskeletal system and connective tissue and mental disorders combined accounts for 53.9% of those awarded SSDI or SSI benefits. Of those awarded benefits 10.2% had a medical condition involving circulatory system. This category includes heart attacks, strokes and others. Neoplasms were found in 9.0% of awardees. Neoplasms include different types of cancers and tumors. Medical conditions involving the nervous system and sense organs was found in 8.2% of those awarded benefits. All other impairments made up the remaining 18.7% of those awarded Social Security disability benefits. Like I said earlier you can be found disabled based on many different medical conditions if you can document the severity of your condition and how it limits you from being able to work. I felt this statistical information on medical conditions and Social Security disability claims would be interesting to my readers.