Does Asthma Count As A Disability

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So Can Asthma Qualify You For Ssdi

Lets just look at statistics. Studies show that 90-95% of asthmatics can obtain control of their asthma with conventional asthma medicines. Good asthma control means you are able to do most of the things you want. It also means that you probably can work. Sure, there may be limits to what you can do, but you can certainly work.9

So, that means there are 5-10% of asthmatics with severe asthma. Their asthma may remain poorly controlled despite conventional asthma medicines. Many of these asthmatics can still help them obtain some degree of control. So, they can usually continue working. There may be limits on what jobs they can do, but they most certainly can work. But some may be unable to work and may qualify for disability.

What to make of this?

So, any of us asthmatics may qualify for short-term disability at times. But, only in rare instances does asthma qualify as a long-term disability.

Asthma Symptoms & Qualifying For Ssdi/ssi

There is no cure for asthma, but symptoms can be controlled with inhalers, steroids, or oxygen. Symptoms may include:

• Shortness of breath
• Wheezing
• Coughing or wheezing attacks

People with asthma may also have their symptoms triggered or worsened by physical exertion, cold weather, stress, allergies, or occupational irritants like chemical fumes, dust, or gases. When asthma symptoms are severe, they may prevent a person from earning enough money to make a living. If you cannot work because you have asthma, you could receive federal disability benefits under SSDI and/or SSI .

For both SSDI and SSI, your asthma must be expected to last for at least 12 months. Social Security only pays benefits for permanent and total disabilities, not temporary or partial disabilities.

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How Does The Social Security Administration Decide If I Qualify For Disability Benefits For Asthma

If you have asthma, Social Security disability benefits may be available. To determine whether you are disabled by asthma, the Social Security Administration first considers whether your asthma is severe enough to meet or equal a listing at Step 3 of the Sequential Evaluation Process. See Winning Social Security Disability Benefits for Asthma by Meeting a Listing. If you meet or equal a listing because of asthma, you are considered disabled. In this case, if you are wondering is asthma considered a disability, then the answer would be yes. However, if your asthma is not severe enough to equal or meet a listing, Social Security Administration must assess your residual functional capacity , to determine whether you qualify for benefits at Step 4 and Step 5 of the Sequential Evaluation Process. See Residual Functional Capacity Assessment for Asthma.

Is Asthma A Disability

Asthma is a disability according to the Americans with Disability Act and Social Security Administration . If you have asthma and you are unable to work, the SSA will consider disabled and you will be able to qualify for Social Security disability benefits.

In order for the SSA to consider your asthma disability, you need to meet both the work and medical criteria. To meet the work criteria, you need to have earned enough work credits throughout your work history.

Your work credits are calculated by your age and how old you are. You can earn up to four work credits for each year you have worked.

In order for the SSA to consider your asthma a disability, you also need to meet the medical criteria outlined in the SSAs Blue Book.

The Blue Book is the list of considerations that qualify for Social Security disability benefits. The SSA considers asthma a disability and is located In the Blue Book.

If you meet the parameters of the asthma listing in the Blue Book, the SSA will consider you disabled, and you will be able to qualify for Social Security disability benefits.

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Can I Qualify For Disability Due To Asthma

The SSE will, when deciding if you are eligible to collect disability benefits due to asthma, check first to make sure that you are not earning more than $1090 per month. They will also make sure that your inability to work because of asthma lasts for 12 months or more. The SSA will see if your symptoms match their official asthma disability listing after you pass these initial tests for screening.

Can You Qualify For Disability Because Of Job Restrictions

If you don’t qualify for disability automatically under the asthma listing and you are an adult, Social Security will consider what limitations your asthma puts on your ability to work a regular job. Social Security will develop an RFC for you â that is, a residual functional capacity assessment, which is what you are able to do despite your impairment. If your doctor has restricted you from heavy exertion, working around excessive dust and fumes, or working in extreme hot or cold temperatures, Social Security will include these job restrictions in your RFC. These limitations can rule out a number of jobs that you can do, and if you prior job required any of the restricted activities, Social Security will have to come up with other work that you can do. If you’re older than 50 or 55, you have a chance of getting disability benefits this way. For more information, see our section on how Social Security uses the RFC to decide what work you can do.

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What Does Reasonable Accommodation Mean

Reasonable accommodations are adjustments or modifications provided by an employer that enable people with disabilities to enjoy equal employment opportunities. Accommodations vary depending upon the needs of the individual applicant or employee. Not all people with disabilities, or even all people with the same disability, will require the same accommodation.

If You Need Assistance Filing Your Application

There are several ways a friend, family member, or other representatives can help you apply for and manage your disability benefits. They can assist with part of the application process, such as gathering and organizing all the necessary work and medical records into a folder or keeping a journal. They can accompany you on visits to your doctor and SSA, sit beside you, and help answer any tough questions. They also can help fill out the worksheets in this guideline.

If you cannot manage any part of the application process yourself, or if you want or need someone to act on your behalf or in your absence with SSA, you can appoint an Authorized Representative. An attorney, non-attorney representative, specializing in Social Security, friend, or family member can serve as your Authorized Representative. That person will need to develop a telephone relationship with your healthcare provider and become familiar with all the documentation required to submit a successful application. Both you and the person representing you must complete and sign Form SSA-1696 . You can download and complete this form at socialsecurity.gov/representation.

If you want a representative but do not know how to find one, ask your local SSA field office. Some representatives charge fees. Others do not. To understand how representatives can charge fees and how SSA approves fees, refer to ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10075.pdf.

Note: SSA does not recognize power of attorney.

This checklist will assist you to:

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Additional Information On Children And Teens

While children have been less affected by COVID-19 compared with adults, children can be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19, and some children develop severe illness. Children with underlying medical conditions are at increased risk for severe illness compared to children without underlying medical conditions.

Current evidence suggests that children with medical complexity, with genetic, neurologic, or metabolic conditions, or with congenital heart disease can be at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19. Similar to adults, children with obesity, diabetes, asthma or chronic lung disease, sickle cell disease, or immunosuppression can also be at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19. One way to protect the health of children not currently eligible for vaccination is to ensure that everyone who is eligible in a household is fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

When Might The Vaccine Be Contraindicated For Someone With Asthma

The vaccine is only contraindicated if you have a known allergy to one of the ingredients of the vaccine. Thats the number-one thing that would take you out of getting the vaccine.

If youve recently recovered from an acute coronavirus infection, then you may need to delay getting the vaccine until youre fully recovered and done with self-isolation and quarantine measures.

Also, if you had the infection and you received one of the antibody treatments for COVID-19, then you should wait 90 days from the time that you got the antibody treatment. Those antibodies might interfere with the immune response stimulated by the vaccine.

Lastly, if someone with asthma also has any condition that causes them to have an immune deficiency, like HIV or cancers, they should consult with their doctors before getting the vaccine.

The vaccine appears to be safe in these populations, but theres a theoretical risk that the vaccine may not work as well. But any benefit from the vaccine for these populations is important.

There are certain considerations with certain medications for autoimmune conditions where we suppress the immune system. Theres some consideration of a different way that you can give these therapies so the persons going to get the full benefit of the vaccine.

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What To Know About Asthma

A type of respiratory disorder, asthma is an inflammatory lung disorder that effects your ability to breathe by constricting airways. When someone with asthma takes a deep breath, instead of their airways relaxing like normal, they may constrict or start to spasm. When this happens the airway narrowing the person becomes breathless, begins to wheeze, and gasps for air. This is called an asthmatic episode.

Asthmatic episodes can be classified as either chronic or acute. When people typically think of asthma, dealing with allergies and sinus drainage, they are thinking of chronic asthma. In addition to allergies, chronic asthma can be associated with bronchitis, emphysema, or COPD. All of these conditions vary in length and severity of attack.

Just like most other medical conditions, there are different stages to asthma. The two primary stages are

• Hyper-Reactive Response: When the muscles in your airway tighten because of an outside stimulant.
• Inflammatory Response: When the immune system triggers the airway to swell then fill with fluid to produce mucous. This is what makes people with asthma sensitive to common air particles dust and pollution and cold air, normal exercise, and even emotional stress.

What Should Be In Your Medical Record

Your medical records should contain documentation of each of your asthma attacks that required hospitalization or emergency treatment, including spirometry test results and the results of arterial blood gas studies while you are in the hospital. The record of each episode should also include what treatment was administered, and for how long, and how well you responded to the treatment. Your doctor should also give you spirometric tests when you are not having an attack to record whether there is baseline airflow obstruction .

In addition, your medical records must show that you have been complying with the at-home treatment ordered by your doctor .

The SSA will want medical records documenting your asthma attacks for at least one year, or the agency will wait until you have been evaluated for one year before issuing a disability decision.

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Check If Your Impairments Long Term

A long-term effect means something that has affected you or is likely to affect you for at least a year. For example, if you had an operation that will make walking difficult for at least a year, thats long term.

Your impairment will still be considered to be long term if the effects are likely to come and go. These are known as fluctuating or recurring effects.

For example, youve had periods of depression for a few months at a time but then months in between where it doesnt affect you. Each episode of depression lasts less than 12 months, but it can meet the definition of long term if:

• it has a substantial adverse effect when it happens, and
• it could well happen again

Your impairment will also still be considered to be long term if its likely to affect you for the rest of your life even if thats going to be less than a year.

The definition of what is long term is in Schedule 1 of the Equality Act 2010.

Can I Request A Reasonable Accommodation For Asthma

Sam* has lived with asthma most of her life. Her asthma was well-controlled, but she learned that strong cleaning agents used in her old office could trigger intense asthma symptoms.

There have been a couple of occasions where the carpets in the building I was located in were shampooed. We werent given notice, so when I showed up to work I would walk into a cloud of chemical smell that would often persist for several days.

Sams story isnt entirely unique. According to the American Lung Association, 1 of every 12 adults live with asthma, and nearly 22 percent of those adults say that their symptoms get worse from exposure to triggers at work.

If youre part of that 22 percent or you want to potentially avoid joining their ranks you may want to talk to your employer about reasonable accommodations for asthma under the Americans with Disabilities Act .

The ADA is a federal law passed by Congress in 1990, and is designed to protect against discrimination on the basis of disability in most areas of public life, including workplaces, schools, and public and private places that are open to the general public. Many states and cities have similarly enacted laws aimed at protecting individuals with disabilities from discrimination.

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If Youre Not Sure If Your Impairment Is Substantial Or Long Term

Get advice from your doctor or other medical professional. You could ask them to tell you:

• how long your impairment is likely to last and whether its likely to get worse
• what would happen if you stopped your medication or other treatment
• if there are any activities you should avoid

You doctor might also be able to help you prove you have a disability if you need to later on.

You can also try keeping a diary for a while – write down what you do, what you find difficult and why. This might make it clearer how much your impairment is affecting your normal day-to-day activities. Your friends and family might also be able to help you think of ways youre affected.

Is Asthma A Disability Yes It Almost Always Is Considered A Disability

Asthma can be considered a disability under the Americans with Disability Act . But the definition of disability is not clearly defined under the ADA. And whether asthma actually qualifies is subject to interpretation.

Just because you have asthma attacks, does not mean that you are protected. Further, even if you are protected at work under the ADA, you might not be protected out of work with social security disability benefits.

Whether you are looking for a reasonable accommodation or to get disability benefits, you should understand:

• Whether your asthma is a disability under the ADA and
• Whether your asthma qualifies you for social security disability benefits.

You a more likely to be considered disabled under the ADA than under the Social Security Act.

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Disabling Symptoms Of Asthma

In many cases, asthma is a chronic condition requiring lifelong maintenance. The symptoms can be extremely distressing and make it difficult to engage in normal, everyday activities. During an asthma episode, inhaling and exhaling are restricted due to swelling or inflammation of your airways, increased reactivity and sensitivity of your airways, excess mucus clogging your airways, and/or muscle tightening around your airways.

Disabling Physical Symptoms of Asthma

Disabling symptoms associated with asthma include, without limitation:

• Coughing
• Difficulty breathing which makes it hard to catch your breath it may feel like you are running out of air to breathe
• Wheezing
• Chest pains and tightness, which could be so severe it feels like a weight on your chest
• Shortness of breath

Other serious respiratory complications of asthma include a number of serious lung diseases, such as:

• Pneumonia
• COPD
• Dyspnea

Complications from asthma may even result in death, especially when left untreated.

Understanding The Asthmatic Condition

In the U.S., 24.6 million people suffer with asthma, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Asthma is classified as a chronic inflammatory lung disease that causes breathing complications in patients. People who have asthma often experience constricted or narrow airways that restrict normal breathing.

Asthma can be triggered by a number of environmental factors, including allergies, pollutants, medications, smoke and chemicals. In most cases, asthma can be managed by using inhalers, nebulizers, or by taking various medications. However, frequent and chronic occurrences of asthma can significantly affect your lifestyle and ability to work.

Severe asthma attacks can last up to several days, and they can fail to respond to regular treatment such as inhalers. In fact, chronic asthma attacks can require intensive treatment such as the use of an intravenous bronchodilator, the administering of antibiotics, or the use of an inhalational bronchodilator in hospital.

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