Facts about Cardiomyopathy and Filing for DisabilityThese selected pages answer some of the most basic, but also some of the most important, questions for individuals who are considering filing a claim for disability benefits. Facts about the condition 1. Cardiomyopathy is a disease affecting the heart muscle, with several causes and subtypes. 2. Cardiomyopathy can come from a condition outside of the heart muscle (extrinsic) or from actual heart muscle weakening (intrinsic). 3. Examples of extrinsic cardiomyopathy include congenital heart disease, nutritional disease, ischemia, substance abuse, pregnancy and diabetic cardiomyopathy. 4. Intrinsic cardiomyopathy is a weakened heart without an obvious condition that leads to cardiomyopathy. Conditions like coronary artery disease must be ruled out before the cardiomyopathy can be considered intrinsic. Intrinsic cardiomyopathy may come from infections or genetics. 5. There are four main types of intrinsic cardiomyopathy: the mostcommon is dilated (DCM), hypertrophic (HCM), arrhythmogenic right ventricular (ARVC), and finally there is restrictive (RCM), which is the least common. DCM is inherited and occurs when the heart becomes enlarged and decreases blood pumping. HCM is characterized by thickening of the heart which restricts blood flow and proper function in the heart. It is a genetic condition. ARVC occurs when the electrical impulses of the heart do not function properly and muscle becomes replaced by scar tissue. RCM is when the ventricle walls stiffen and do not allow the heart to fill with blood. 6. Symptoms may not appear in the early stages of cardiomyopathy. As the condition progresses symptoms may include difficulty breathing, swelling below the heart including fluid in the abdomen and swollen legs and feet, irregular heartbeat, as well as dizziness and fainting. 7. Prescription drug treatment aims to manage symptoms and limit the condition from progressing, to help avoid complications including heart failure, cardiac arrest, blood clots and heart murmur. Cardiomyopathy can be life threatening if the heart stops beating or pumping blood. 8. Other treatment includes implanting devices to keep the heart pumping blood regularly. In severe cases of cardiomyopathy, heart transplants may be necessary. Qualifying for disability benefits with this condition Whether or not you qualify for disability and, as a result, are approved for disability benefits will depend entirely on the information obtained from your medical records. This includes whatever statements and treatment notes that may have been obtained from your treating physician (a doctor who has a history of treating your condition and is, therefore, qualified to comment as to your condition and prognosis). It also includes discharge summaries from hospital stays, reports of imaging studies (such as xrays, MRIs, and CT scans) and lab panels (i.e. bloodwork) as well as reports from physical therapy. In many disability claims, it may also include the results of a report issued by an independent physician who examines you at the request of the Social Security Administration.
Qualifying for SSD or SSI benefits will also depend on the information obtained from your vocational, or work, history if you are an adult, or academic records if you are a minor-age child. In the case of adults, your work history information will allow a disability examiner (examiners make decisions at the initial claim and reconsideration appeal levels, but not at the hearing level where a judges decides the outcome of the case) to A) classify your past work, B) determine the physical and mental demands of your past work, C) decide if you can go back to a past job, and D) whether or not you have the ability to switch to some type of other work. The important thing to keep in mind is that the social security administration does not award benefits based on simply having a condition, but, instead, will base an approval or denial on the extent to which a condition causes functional limitations. Functional limitations can be great enough to make work activity not possible (or, for a child, make it impossible to engage in age-appropriate activities).
Why are so many disability cases lost at the disability application and reconsideration appeal levels? There are several reasons but here are just two: 1) Social Security makes no attempt to obtain a statement from a claimant's treating physician. By contrast, at the hearing level, a claimant's disability attorney or disability representative will generally obtain and present this type of statement to a judge. Note: it is not enough for a doctor to simply state that their patient is disabled. To satisy Social Security's requirements, the physician must list in what ways and to what extent the individual is functionally limited. For this reason, many representatives and attorneys request that the physician fill out and sign a specialized medical source statement that captures the correct information. Solid Supporting statements from physicians easily make the difference between winning or losing a disability case at the hearing level. 2) Prior to the hearing level, a claimant will not have the opportunity to explain how their condition limits them, nor will their attorney or representative have the opportunity to make a presentation based on the evidence of the case. This is because at the initial levels of the disability system, a disability examiner decides the case without meeting the claimant. The examiner may contact the claimant to gather information on activities of daily living and with regard to medical treatment or past jobs, but usually nothing more. At the hearing level, however, presenting an argument for approval based on medical evidence that has been obtained and submitted is exactly what happens. About the Author: Tim Moore is a former Social Security Disability Examiner in North Carolina, has been interviewed by the NY Times and the LA Times on the disability system, and is an Accredited Disability Representative (ADR) in North Carolina. For assistance on a disability application or Appeal in NC, click here. Most popular topics on SSDRC.com Social Security Disability in North Carolina Common Mistakes to avoid after being denied for Disability Tips to Prepare for Filing for Social Security Disability or SSI Advice to Win SSD and SSI Benefit Claims Social Security Disability SSI Questions What is the difference between Social Security Disability and SSI? How to get disability for depression Getting disability for fibromyalgia SSI disability for children with ADHD What is the Application Process for Social Security Disability and SSI? Social Security Disability SSI Exam tips More Social Security Disability SSI Questions What makes you eligible for Social Security Disability or SSI? Related Body System Impairments: If you have had a heart attack will you qualify for Social Security Disability? Angina and Filing for Disability Arrhythmia and Filing for Disability Brain Aneurysm and Filing for Disability Cardiomyopathy and Filing for Disability If you have had a heart attack will you qualify for Social Security Disability? Angina and Filing for Disability Arrhythmia and Filing for Disability Brain Aneurysm and Filing for Disability Cardiomyopathy and Filing for Disability Cardiovascular Heart Stenosis and Filing for Disability Congenital Heart Defects and Filing for Disability Congestive Heart Failure and Filing for Disability DVT Deep Venous Thrombosis and Filing for Disability Heart Attack and Filing for Disability Heart Murmur and Filing for Disability High Cholesterol and Filing for Disability Lymphedema and Filing for Disability Mitral Valve Prolapse and Filing for Disability Peripheral Arterial Disease and Filing for Disability Triple Bypass Surgery and Filing for Disability Thrombosis and Filing for Disability Tachycardia and Filing for Disability Wolff-Parkinson-White and Filing for Disability Congestive Heart Failure, Social Security Disability, and Applying for Benefits Heart Attack, Social Security Disability, and Applying for Benefits What are the qualifications for disability in Texas? How much can I get from Social Security Disability in Texas? Get a qualified disability attorney, lawyer in Texas |
