Facts about Post Polio Syndrome 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) Post-polio syndrome (PPS) usually appears 30-35 years after the original poliomyelitis infection, usually affecting polio survivors between the ages of 35 and 60. There have been cases reported within 8 to 71 years after the original infection. 2) Symptoms for PPS include being tired and weak, muscular atrophy, and having muscular pain and extreme weakness in previously affected limbs. Sleep disturbances, sensitivity to cold temperatures and issues with swallowing or breathing are also symptoms. 3) Doctors do not currently know what makes post-polio syndrome happen to polio survivors, though many believe that over time the neurons become fatigued and nerve terminals malfunction. Others believe that polio survivors lose neurons at a speedier rate than those without history of the disease. 4) It can be challenging for doctors to diagnose PPS. The criteria are: gradual onset of weakness with motor neuron loss, previous polio, and partial or full recovery span after original case of polio. 5) There are no therapies to reverse PPS, and treatment is still being studied. For now, pain relief medications, plenty of rest, a healthy diet (and weight loss), and exercise specifically targeted to weak, fatigue areas are recommended. Sometimes equipment such as mechanical wheelchairs or braces can help. 6) PPS can affect the face muscles and make it hard for sufferers to swallow, breathe, speak, and eat. Breathing exercises, eating slowly and consciously, eating smaller portions, and quitting smoking can help. 7) Sometimes PPS is mistaken for ALS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a motor neuron disease characterized by progressively weak muscles. 8) PPS occurs in 25-50 percent of polio survivors. 9) Scientists are currently working on a variety of tests and studies involving the motor neurons, spinal cord, brain, muscles, neuromuscular junction and peripheral nerves, to help them understand PPS better. 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: Frozen Shoulder and Filing for Disability Rotator Cuff Injury and Filing for Disability Plantar Fasciitis and Filing for Disability Hip replacement surgery and Filing for Disability Total Hip Replacement and Filing for Disability Hypermobility and Filing for Disability Foot Drop and Filing for Disability ACL injury and Filing for Disability Post Polio Syndrome and Filing for Disability Osteoporosis and Filing for Disability Osteomyelitis and Filing for Disability Osteogenesis Imperfecta and Filing for Disability Marfan Syndrome and Filing for Disability Muscular Dystrophy and Filing for Disability Avascular Necrosis and Filing for Disability Texas Permanent Disability Benefits Eligibility and qualifying for disability in Texas How Much Are Fees and Cost For a Disability Lawyer in Texas? |
