Atrial fibrillation can become so severe to prevent you from working. You may qualify for a disability benefit from the Social Security Administration (SSA). Gaining disability benefit approval can take many months and is never guaranteed.
Some signs that you have a better chance of gaining approval include the amount of relevant medical evidence you have, proof that you have sufficient work credits and have, or expect to have, at least 12 months of unemployment because of the severity of the condition. For further information on what these signs that you will be approved for disability, continue to read on below.
Sign 1: You Meet Non-Medical Requirements
The SSA may consider you suitable for an atrial fibrillation disability benefit through the social security disability insurance (SSDI) scheme if you have already accumulated sufficient work credits from your employment record.
The benefit of SSDI is that there is less chance that your work history will be disputed. Your work credits will be accredited to your personal record and this avoids having to assess things like assets and income, which is necessary if supplementary security income is applied for. You can still get a disability benefit approval through SSI, but it will take longer and you will need evidence of your low income and assets level.
Sign 2: You Have Sufficient Medical Evidence of a Disability
Atrial fibrillation can be anything from a minor disability right through to a life threatening condition. The SSA doesn’t just accept your word about your symptoms. It will assess all evidence you have available demonstrating when your disability first started, tests, scans, medical records, and possibly further tests showing how severe the condition has become and the prognosis for improvement.
You increase your chances of obtaining disability benefit approval if you have set out to compile as complete a set of medical evidence as you can obtain.
Sign 3: You Cannot Work for At Least 12 Months
One major criterion for benefit approval is the length of time you have already been off work or expect to be off work at the time of you application. This must amount to more than 12 months. As long as you have proof of this and that the period of unemployment is due to your atrial fibrillation condition then you have at least jumped over one of the hurdles mounted by the SSA.
Sign 4: You Meet a Blue Book Listing
Atrial fibrillation is listed in he SSA’s Blue Book under the Cardiovascular section- Recurrent Arrythmias. As not all atrial fibrillation is severe enough to prevent employment, the Blue Book provides concise criteria that must be matched for your disability to be considered for disability benefit approval. The closer your symptoms match the descriptions in the Blue Book, the more likely that your disability benefit application will be approved.
Even if it proves impossible to match your symptoms exactly, you may still qualify for approval if you have a residual functional capacity assessment completed by your doctor. This can demonstrate what work you can and cannot do.
Sign 5: You are Working With a Disability Lawyer
It is advisable to work with a disability lawyer when applying for a disability benefit. It is unlikely to speed the application process up, but may increase your chances of success as the lawyer will understand the SSA’s protocol and requirements better than you.
Additional Resources
- How to Apply for Disability Benefits
- Top 5 Reasons to Work with a Social Security Advocate or Attorney
