Is Atrial Fibrillation Considered A Disability

Qualifying Without Meeting A Medical Listing

Because AF occurs in older adults, it’s often brought on by other medical issues, like high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, hyperthyroidism, chronic kidney disease, and an abnormal heart size. These disorders already have costs of their own.

If your AF doesn’t meet or equal the Blue Book listing, but you feel it’s severe enough to make you unable to work, you may be approved for benefits with a medical-vocational allowance instead of medical requirements. As with all applications, your AF must be expected last for a year or longer and it must keep you from earning the SSA’s 2016 minimum monthly wage of $1,130.

In order to be considered with a medical-vocational allowance, your doctor must fill out a long form detailing your impairment and related symptoms as well as physical and mental abilities and limitations. Separately, you must provide an education and work history to the SSA. With these the SSA will look for jobs you can do with your work ability.

AF causes some symptoms that may make working full time hard, such as extreme fatigue, lightheadedness, shortness of breath, chest pain, and the amount of sick days needed for hospitalizations. However, many more debilitating symptoms are caused by co-occurring conditions like stroke or heart failure. The study done by Beth Israel Deaconesses Medical Center and Harvard Clinical Research Institute showed that 75 percent of patients 80 and over were highly dependent on another person for daily living activities.

Conflict Of Interest Statement

GL Consultant for Bayer/Janssen, BMS/Pfizer, Medtronic, Boehringer Ingelheim, Novartis, Verseon, and Daiichi-Sankyo. Speaker for Bayer, BMS/Pfizer, Medtronic, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Daiichi-Sankyo.

The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

When Does The Ssa Consider Atrial Fibrillation A Disability

The SSA outlines the criteria for qualifying for disability programs in a book of impairment listings called the Blue Book. The impairment listing and criteria that relate to atrial fibrillation are in Section 4.05 Recurrent Arrhythmias.

Atrial fibrillation can cause a number of symptoms, including heart palpitations, chest pain, and even depression or anxiety. However, the SSA only considers certain people who suffer from fainting and dizziness as disabled.

The criteria for qualifying for benefits based on your atrial fibrillation include:

• It must not have a reversible cause
• It must cause fainting or altered consciousness three or more times in a year
• Your EKG must show the atrial fibrillation caused the fainting and
• It must not be well-controlled by medication or a pacemaker.

If you are not sure you meet this criteria, schedule a time to discuss your health with your doctor and tell them you are thinking of applying for disability. They will be able to advise you if you meet the medical criteria in the Blue Book. They can also ensure your condition is well-documented. This is important because of the key role your medical records play in the disability determination process.

Pittsburgh Atrial Fibrillation Lawyer Near Me

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Study Limitations And Strengths

In conclusion, our study shows that AF is a frequent comorbidity in older patients with COVID-19 and it is often associated with complex clinical conditions. Different factors may influence the prognosis of COVID-19 patients with and without AF. Indeed, even if the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection in AF and non-AF patients was comparable at ward admission, AF associated with higher in-hospital mortality, which is to some extent related to pre-existing disability. In patients without AF, in-hospital prognosis was mainly related to the severity of infection at admission and, then, to age, sex and functional status. If prospectively confirmed, the stratification approach we obtained could help to evaluate the risk and to guide the most appropriate management of the frailest segment of COVID-19 population.

Medical Records To Support The Rfc Form

The SSA will consider an RFC form submitted by your doctor only if your doctor provides objective medical evidence to support the work limitations that result from your arrhythmia. Therefore, it is important to provide the SSA with copies of the reports from doctors’ visits, hospitalizations, medication lists with side effects, lab tests, EKGs, catheterizations and any other treatments or tests.

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Setting Goals For Heart Health

As well as starting your treatment plan, making some changes to your lifestyle can help improve your health, manage your AF and lower your risk of complications, such as stroke or heart failure.

Setting goals is a good way to help you achieve the lifestyle changes you want to make. It’s important to make sure that your goals are realistic and achievable. You’re more likely to succeed if you:

• Set a goal that is really important to you and write it down
• Plan how you are going to achieve the goal
• Get support from those around you
• Brainstorm how you can overcome challenges and build your confidence.

You can find out more about how to set realistic achievable goals on our goal-setting page.

Aorta Or Major Branch Aneurysm

Weakness or damage to a blood vessel can cause the vessel wall to bulge at its weakest point. This is known as an aneurysm. While aneurysms can occur almost anywhere in the body, they are often found in the wall of the aorta, the large artery responsible for delivering oxygenated blood from the left ventricle of the heart to the branch arteries. When an aneurysm ruptures, whether in the aorta, the brain, or elsewhere, the results can quickly turn fatal.

Social Security’s Listing 4.10 for aorta or major branch aneurysms is satisfied when an aneurysm in the aorta or major branch artery is demonstrated by appropriate medical imaging and when “dissection” of the artery occurs and cannot be controlled by prescribed treatment.

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Atrial Flutter Vs Atrial Fibrillation

While both conditions involve arrhythmias, a person with an atrial flutter does not necessarily have an irregular heartbeat. With AFib, the atria beats out of sync with the ventricles, which causes an erratic heartbeat. With atrial flutter, the atria and the ventricles are in sync, but the atria beats faster than the ventricles. An example of atrial flutter is when the atria beats two times for every ventricles beat. The atrias rapid beat could happen multiple times, always beating more than that of the ventricles. Your doctor may assess your condition using an EKG to tell whether you are experiencing an atrial flutter or atrial fibrillation.

Is Irregular Heartbeat A Disability

If your arrhythmia does not meet the official listing requirements for automatic approval, you may still be eligible for disability benefits. You will be examined by the SSA to determine whether your arrhythmia has an impact on your life and whether it prevents you from performing your previous job or any other duties.

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Accommodating Employees With Heart Condition

People with heart conditions may develop some of the limitations discussed below, but seldom develop all of them. Also, the degree of limitation will vary among individuals. Be aware that not all people with heart conditions will need accommodations to perform their jobs and many others may only need a few accommodations. The following is only a sample of the possibilities available. Numerous other accommodation solutions may exist.

What Is Atrial Fibrillation And What Can Happen To Me If I Have It

During a regular heartbeat, the top two chambers of the heart send out an electrical signal that triggers the heart to pump blood through the body. Atrial fibrillation happens when the electrical signal becomes irregular and causes disorganized and rapid contractions of the atria. These abnormal atrial contractions may cause ineffective pumping of blood through the body.

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Will Social Security Find Me Disabled If I Have A Pacemaker

Not necessarily. While you certainly won’t be found capable of performing jobs that require heavy lifting or proximity to electromagnetic radiation, the SSA routinely finds that individuals with pacemakers can do sedentary or light work. And only older people with certain work histories and educations with sedentary or light RFCs are likely to get disability. Of course, it’s possible that you may have additional cardiac or other impairments that would limit you further, making it more likely that you could get disability benefits. For more information, see Nolo’s article on pacemakers and disability.

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Treatment For Atrial Fibrillation

People who are experiencing AFib symptoms should be checked by their doctor, who will likely send them to a cardiologist to determine if theres a need for treatment. Once the condition has been diagnosed, there are a few treatment options available.

Some doctors might prescribe natural treatments as a first option. For instance, someone who is a smoker or heavy drinker might be asked to quit these types of habits right away. A doctor might also ask someone with AFib to limit consumption of caffeine, change eating habits, or engage in stress-relieving activities.

A doctor might also prescribe a variety of medications to lower the risk of stroke and control the arrhythmia. For instance, an anticoagulant might be prescribed to lessen the likelihood that the patient will have blood clots. Other patients might receive a variety of medications to control the severity of the irregularity in heart beats.

If natural options are ineffective, another option is ablation, which is a procedure in which the area where the heart is having the arrhythmia is burned or frozen. Another type of treatment method is electrical cardioversion. With this treatment, electrical shocks are sent to the heart through the chest in an attempt to reset the rhythm. Finally, some patients might need to have a pacemaker placed inside their chest.

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Ischemic Heart Disease And Atrial Fibrillation

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site351 wrote:I am on Warfarin…have been since just a few days after this first stroke…its funny… when I was having the stroke I didn’t feel any pain in my head. I just couldn’t stand up without falling. The bloodthinner makes the blood pool in my left foot causing the nerves in my veins don’t squeeze the valves back up my legs to my heart…foot doctor has me on a wrap for daytime use and a special compression sock that staps up my left to help with this damn foot drop I live with everyday> Can’t stand to sit over 10 minutes, feels like a horse is standing on the thing in no time. Anyway…..eat the healthy stuff as hard as it might be.

How Va Rates Atrial Fibrillation

VA rates AFIB under 38 CFR § 4.104 Schedule of Ratings, Cardiovascular System Diagnostic Code 7010. The rating criteria are as follows:

• 30% paroxysmal atrial fibrillation or other supraventricular tachycardia, with more than four episodes per year documented by ECG or Holter monitor
• 10% permanent atrial fibrillation , or one to four episodes per year of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation or other supraventricular tachycardia documented by ECG or Holter monitor

If you believe your condition warrants a higher rating than VA assigns, you have the right to file an appeal.

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Fainting Getting Dizzy Is Enough To Qualify

You dont have to actually faint and fall flat on your face to qualify for SSA benefits. Getting dizzy is enough.

When I had A-Fib , I would get dizzy at work. Id have to hang on to equipment or nearby people to keep steady. Since I was working on the technical crew of the soap opera Days of Our Lives where there was a lot of moving equipment, cameras, booms, etc., my co-workers were very alarmed. I was a hazard to my fellow crew members and had to go on disability leave till I could get cured.

Almost everyone with A-Fib gets dizzy at times. Your heart isnt pumping enough blood to your brain. That dizziness is all you need to qualify for SSA medical disability.

The Importance Of The Blue Book

Given the vast array of disorders and conditions that could potentially lead to disability, the SSA developed a guide to assist Social Security representatives, physicians, and applicants in determining whether or not a specific condition qualifies for financial assistance.

This guide is referred to as the Blue Book. The Blue Book separates out various conditions into categories and lists specific criteria and symptoms that you must have to be approved. Also included in the Blue Book are the different clinical and laboratory tests that are required for each condition.

Atrial Fibrillation is a cardiac disorder that is covered in the Recurrent Arrhythmia section, 4.05, of the Blue Book. To help you with the information gathering process, here is the most relevant medical evidence that you will need to provide to give you the best chance of being approved for SSDI.

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Stroke Due To Atrial Fibrillation

There are a number of risk factors for developing stroke including, but not limited to, obesity, diabetes, cigarette smoking, and cardiovascular disease. One such cardiovascular condition called atrial fibrillation , a type of irregular heartbeat, is a significant risk factor.7 A particular type of AF, known as non-valvular atrial fibrillation , , can be fatal and is the cause of about 15 percent of all ischemic strokes and as many as 30 percent of strokes occurring in people in their 80s.8 Recent estimates in the U.S. has AF affecting an estimated 2.6 to 3 million Americans 9 with approximately 795,000 people experiencing a new or recurrent stroke each year.10

Worldwide in 2010, an estimated 33.5 million individuals had AF, with close to 5 million new cases each year.11

Atrial fibrillation may lead to significant negative health outcomes, including a fivefold increased risk of stroke, as well as hospitalization, impaired quality of life, and decreased work productivity. Stroke is a costly disease from individual, family, and societal perspectives. The health consequences of AF-related stroke can be devastating. Outcomes in patients with AF-associated events are often poor, and may result in severe permanent neurologic deficit or death.

Go, A.S., et al. Heart disease and stroke statisticsâ2013 update: a report from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2013 127:e6-245.

Is Atrial Fibrillation Considered A Disability

However, AFib has the potential to grow into a severe disorder that causes intense pain, dizziness, or blackouts which can regularly hinder a persons ability to function. If your AFib is so severe that it prevents you from living and working normally, then it is possible you may qualify for disability benefits.

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Diagnostic Criteria And Methods

Minimal required documentation for diagnosing arrhythmias includes either an electrocardiogram recording, for example from an ambulatory monitor or from an emergency medical service unit dispatched to a cardiac arrest victim, or a 12-lead ECG. Such tracings define the origin of the arrhythmia , enable risk stratification, and direct therapy. Some arrhythmias may be recorded during exercise testing, and in this case the test can be used to diagnose the arrhythmia, determine functional status independent of the arrhythmia, and sometimes determine appropriate therapy.

Evidence Of Heart Conditions

Test results are very important to the SSA’s determination. An EKG can indicate that your heart muscle is not getting as much oxygen as it needs , that your heartbeat or heart rhythm is abnormal , or that there are other abnormalities of your heart, such as left ventricular enlargement . Results of an exercise tolerance test , also called a stress test, are also important because they tell the SSA how much work/exertion you can do before having heart symptoms like shortness of breath, angina , or exhaustion.

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Get Disability Benefits With Atrial Fibrillation

Like other heart conditions, atrial fibrillation symptoms can vary in severity. Some people may suffer few side effects and are able to continue working. Others, however, may find it difficult or impossible to make ends meet because they struggle to do many of the tasks associated with their job. If this sounds like you, you may be eligible for disability benefits through the Social Security Administration . This may include Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income .

The disability attorneys at Berger and Green know what the SSA is looking for when they evaluate an application for benefits. We can help you understand which programs you qualify for, review your application, and even help you appeal a denial of benefits. Call our office today at to schedule a time to talk with one of our Pittsburgh disability lawyers. We can help you get Social Security Disability for atrial fibrillation.

For a free legal consultation with a atrial fibrillation lawyer serving Pittsburgh, call

Innovation In Pharmacological Treatment

New and innovative medications have been developed to reduce the risk of AF-related stroke, providing prescribers more treatment options to reduce the risk in patients with NVAF. The newer anticoagulant therapies, also known as Novel Oral Anticoagulants or NOACs, work either as direct thrombin inhibitors, which prevents the conversion of fibrinogen to fibrin, or as selective factor Xa inhibitors, which work on the preceding step in the coagulation cascade to prevent the conversion of prothrombin to thrombin. Another goal of these new therapies is to reduce the risk of bleeding, which is a serious and sometimes fatal adverse event of anticoagulants. The results of a large meta-analysis involving over 50,000 patients showed that in patients with NVAF, these newer therapies decreased the risk of stroke which was mainly driven by fewer hemorrhagic strokes and decrease in mortality.18 As with any medication, it is important for the physician and patient to carefully evaluate the benefits and risks of any therapy used to treat AF.

Biomedical innovation continues to improve upon noninvasive treatments for patients with AF. The value of medicines in the prevention and treatment of atrial fibrillation of stroke shall also continue to grow, as more older individuals have access to medical care.

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