Facts about Heart Attack 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) Heart attack, also called a myocardial infarction, is caused by blockages to the blood vessels that supply blood to the heart. This can lead to lack of oxygen supply and blood supply to the heart and can cause damage to the heart, or cause the heart muscles to die. 2) Chest pain, or pain in the shoulder, belly, back, arms, jaw or neck that lasts for about 20 minutes, can all be symptoms of heart attack. Fainting, cough, anxiety, heart palpitations, extreme sweating, dizziness, lightheadedness, and shortness of breath may also be symptoms. Some heart attacks have no symptoms and are labeled 'silent heart attack'. 3) Those that have heart attack should be rushed to the hospital to be hooked up to an ECG machine, given oxygen, a chest X-ray and receive blood tests to be treated for their heart attack. They will most often undergo angioplasty ' an emergency surgery that helps to open the arteries. In severe cases coronary artery bypass surgery may be needed. 4) The leading cause of death for both women and men worldwide is heart attack, although males have been proven to have a higher risk for heart attack than females. 5) There are many risk factors for heart attack. A few of them are: obesity, high blood pressure, poor diet, lack of exercise, diabetes, smoking tobacco, stress, family history of heart disease, and overconsumption of alcohol. 6) Taking aspirin when symptoms of heart attack show up can possibly help to thin the blood and help reduce heart damage, but only do so if recommended by a medical professional. Aspirin may interact with other medications. 7) Those that have had heart attack may be prescribed blood thinning medications, ACE inhibitors, cholesterol lowering medication, and beta blockers. In addition, lifestyle modifications are extremely important for recovery. Eating healthy foods, managing stress appropriately, being physically active, quitting smoking and maintaining a healthy weight, are all very important for prevention and recovery of heart attack. 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: 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 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 If you apply for disability in Oregon Getting a Disability Lawyer in Oregon |
