If you have chronic anemia the SSA’s Blue Book can help you work out what medical evidence you need to support your claim for Social Security benefits. Anemia does not affect people in the same way.
For example, those who experience a gradual decrease in red blood cells may be able to deal with the loss even if their red blood cell count is low. However, when someone loses red blood cells quickly significant impairments may take place.
The severity of the anemia, and if it responds to treatment, are key to determining if the anemia is disabling. Someone who has a serious low level of hemoglobin may require regular blood transfusions and this is a significant disability.
How the Blue Book Can Help You Medically Qualify with Chronic Anemia
The Blue Book is compiled by the Social Security Administration (SSA) which lists medical conditions which are eligible to receive social security disability benefits. If an applicant’s condition is so severe that they are diagnosed as permanently disabled and are unable to cope with normal life including going to work the disability assessor will refer to the Blue Book listings to decide if a claimant suffering from chronic anemia is entitled to receive disability benefits.
In 2015, Social Security added a new Blue Book listing that is applicable to all adult blood disorders, which is 7.18 for ongoing complications due to hematological disorders. Chronic anemia, if severe, can qualify using this listing if the victim has serious symptoms such as chronic fatigue, pain and shortness of breath which affects the following activities of the victim:
- daily living;
- ability to function socially;
- ability to complete tasks in the normal timeframe.
You can also meet the requirements of a listing for an impairment which is caused by anemia, like the cardiovascular listing or respiratory listing. Often anemia is due to an underlying condition such as advanced kidney disease, which also has its own listing.
What Medical Evidence Do I Need to Win a Chronic Anemia Claim?
The more evidence you provide in your application for Social Security disability benefits describing your chronic anemia the higher the chance of qualifying for disability benefits.
Even though results of blood tests aren’t compulsory to prove the presence of chronic anemia having documentation showing low hemoglobin levels are necessary to show that the symptoms and limitations that the Blue Book listing requires have a physiological cause. Evidence of blood transfusions may help to show the severity of the chronic anemia.
Help Filing for Disability Benefits with Chronic Anemia
A lawyer should be able to help you with your application for disability benefits when you are suffering from chronic anemia. The lawyer can make sure you match all the criteria in the Blue Book by providing evidence to prove the debilitating effects of chronic anemia so that your application for disability benefits is not denied. Fill out the Free Case Evaluation today to get in touch with an independent, participating attorney who subscribes to the website.
