Adjusting to life after a disability diagnosis can be frustrating, complicated, and overwhelming, especially if your newfound disability prevents you from being able to work. This adjustment can take time, and you should embrace any kind of help you can get. This includes applying for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits. It’s recommended that you consult a lawyer to find out what medical conditions qualify for SSDI in Sacramento.
What Medical Conditions Qualify for SSDI in Sacramento?
You have three possible ways to apply for SSDI benefits in Sacramento. You can visit the Social Security Administration (SSA) website, you can apply over the phone, or you can visit one of your local SSA offices to speak with an agent directly. There are currently three SSA offices in the Sacramento area. One on Folsom Boulevard, one on Arden Way, and one on Massie Circle. It’s always recommended that you speak with a lawyer and make an appointment.
Don’t forget that there’s nothing wrong with seeking disability insurance from the SSA. It’s something that millions of Americans receive every day. In 2023 alone, there were 6,376,029 individuals in California receiving SSA benefits of some kind. Nationwide, there were 8,614,659 people receiving SSDI benefits in 2024. All these people have some sort of disability or medical condition that prevents them from working.
To qualify for SSDI benefits in Sacramento, you must have a debilitating physical or mental impairment that prevents you from maintaining gainful employment. This impairment must be something you live with for at least a year or something that’s terminal. To determine qualifying medical conditions, the SSA uses a national Blue Book that lists every condition. Some of the most common, however, are included here.
Musculoskeletal Conditions
These conditions include spinal cord injuries, arthritis, severe scoliosis, and debilitating back injuries. It doesn’t take much to cause a spinal injury, but the damage is generally permanent and severely limiting.
Mental Disorders
These conditions include bipolar disorder, depression, autism, schizophrenia, PTSD, and various intellectual disabilities. Not everyone living with a mental disorder is limited by it. There are bipolar, depressed, or autistic individuals who can hold down a job and live their lives. However, some people’s conditions are severe and will limit their ability to find work.
Neurological Disorders
These conditions include Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, cerebral palsy, and multiple sclerosis (MS). Many neurological conditions are severely debilitating. While initially, a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis may not seriously affect your job performance, that can start to happen when your condition begins to worsen.
Cancer
If you are diagnosed with any form of cancer, the SSA will need to evaluate your condition using your medical records. They will consider your cancer’s severity, duration, and spread before deciding if it counts as a debilitating condition and will offer you SSDI benefits.
Cardiovascular Conditions
These conditions include heart failure, coronary artery disease, ischemic heart disease, and a heart transplant, just to name a few. Any condition involving your heart can be considered life-altering and immeasurably dangerous. You may not be able to work anymore due to the fragility of your heart. The SSA will take this into consideration when deciding whether to award benefits.
Special Senses and Speech
These conditions include blindness, deafness, and loss of speech. Generally, blindness is seen as a debilitating condition, and benefits are usually awarded. Deafness and loss of speech need to be tested to determine if they are debilitating enough to warrant benefits.
Hire an SSDI Lawyer
A good lawyer’s help can often be invaluable throughout your SSDI case. A Sacramento SSDI attorney knows the most effective ways to help your case and walk you through the state’s SSDI laws. You’ll want someone experienced to navigate through the process, to prevent you from making mistakes, and to protect your interests during your potential appeal.
With decades of experience, the team at Gade & Parekh, LLP, can help you recover benefits you may be owed. Our team understands the importance of these benefits to you and your family, and we work hard to help you pursue them.
FAQs
Q: What Medical Conditions Automatically Qualify You for SSDI?
A: There are many different medical conditions that will automatically qualify you for SSDI without being tested or denied. Any condition that’s seen as permanent and unlikely to improve may grant you benefits without the need for a hearing. Some of these conditions include amputations, ALS, terminal cancer, blindness, and Down syndrome, among many others. It all depends on the severity of your condition.
Q: How Much Is the Disability Check for Schizophrenia in California?
A: The amount you could receive in benefits for a schizophrenia diagnosis depends on many contributing factors. Your condition is not the only thing that’s considered when the SSA determines the amount. They also must investigate your prior work history, consider the amount you were making before your diagnosis, and successfully apply for SSDI benefits. You could end up receiving anywhere between $1,000 and $2,000 a month in benefits.
Q: Does Terminal Cancer Qualify You for Long-Term Disability?
A: A terminal cancer diagnosis can qualify you for long-term disability. Many times, the SSA may expedite Compassionate Allowances approval due to your diagnosis. However, you must first demonstrate through your medical records that cancer makes it impossible for you to perform work duties of any kind. The diagnosis itself is not enough. The SSA must consider the prognosis as well. Be sure to document everything.
Q: Does ALS Qualify You for Social Security Disability?
A: An ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, diagnosis can qualify you for Social Security disability. This is another debilitating condition that can be expedited through the Compassionate Allowances program. The usual five-month waiting period is often waived, allowing you to receive benefits immediately upon your diagnosis, since ALS is viewed as a fast-progressing terminal condition. You still need medical documentation to prove the diagnosis.
California SSDI Lawyer
Navigating the application process for SSDI benefits can be intensely frustrating and confusing, especially if you’re trying to do it alone without a good lawyer. You should hire an SSDI lawyer to help you through it, if only to avoid mistakes that could cost you your benefits. At Gade & Parekh, LLP, we know what kind of help you need. Contact us to speak with a team member about your case.