Is Asthma A Disability?

Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease that affects nearly 25 million adults and children in the United States, according to data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A person with asthma may experience shortness of breath, wheezing, and coughing.

Although no cure exists, treatment in the form of medication and lifestyle changes can control symptoms to prevent them from interfering with a person’s day-to-day activities. Unfortunately, those individuals whose condition does not respond well to treatment may be unable to engage in daily activities, including those required for working and earning a living.

Can you get disability for asthma? If you or a family member is asking this question, Sackett and Associates has been helping people in Northern California and throughout the country with all types of disability benefit claims for more than 45 years. Here, you’ll find an explanation of asthma as a medical condition and the process for obtaining asthma disability benefits through the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs of the Social Security Administration.

Asthma Is A Chronic Condition

Asthma is a long-term medical condition that makes it difficult for a person to breathe by causing inflammation and narrowing of the airways of the lungs. As the airways narrow, the flow of air into and out of the lungs becomes more difficult.

There is no cure for asthma, so treatment focuses on managing symptoms through medication and lifestyle modifications designed to avoid things, called asthma triggers, that make symptoms worse. Common asthma triggers include:

1. Physical exertion, such as exercise and other strenuous physical activities.
2. Allergens, including indoor and outdoor allergens, such as mold, pet dander, dust mites, and pollen.
3. Infections, including colds, flu, and other forms of viruses.
4. Poor air quality or extremely cold air.
5. Emotional stress.

Exposure to triggers can cause an asthma attack, which is a worsening of symptoms. Depending on the degree of breathing difficulty a person experiences, an asthma attack could be life-threatening.

Common asthma symptoms include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath. These symptoms may occur with other medical conditions, but they generally follow a pattern when caused by asthma. For example, symptoms that frequently occur during strenuous activities or with exposure to cold air may be a sign of asthma.

If you experience asthma symptoms, discuss them with your healthcare professional, who can take a medical history and do a physical examination. Tests may be conducted to measure your lung function and to evaluate your sensitivity to common triggers. For instance, bronchial provocation tests assess the ability of your airways to function before and after exposure to common triggers, such as exercise, allergens, and hyperventilation.

Disability Benefits And Asthma

The SSDI and SSI programs provide disability benefits when asthma prevents a person from working. However, more than two-thirds of individuals who apply for disability benefits each year do not get them during the initial review process.

You must be disabled according to a definition used by the Social Security Administration to evaluate each chronic asthma disability claim. According to the definition, you must be unable to do substantial gainful work activities because of a medically provable physical or mental impairment expected to last for at least 12 months or expected to result in death. The definition excludes payment of Social Security disability benefits for partial or short-term medical conditions.

Disability evaluation process to qualify for asthma disability benefits

The asthma and Social Security disability evaluation process focuses on the extent to which your medical condition affects your ability to do work-related activities. One measure of this is the listing of impairments with medical conditions that the Social Security Administration considers severe enough to be disabilities according to the standard it uses to evaluate claims.

The listing of impairments includes two sections with medical criteria for claims filed by people with asthma: Section 3.02, chronic respiratory disorders, and Section 3.03, asthma. If your condition meets or is medically equivalent to the criteria of either of these conditions, your medical condition would be severe enough to satisfy the disability standard for approval of your chronic asthma disability claim.

If you cannot meet or be equivalent to the criteria of a listing, you still may qualify for disability benefits. A residual functional capacity (RFC) assessment determines your capacity to do work-related activities, such as lifting, sitting, standing, walking, and climbing stairs, with the limitations imposed by your medical condition. You are disabled if the medical documentation and the RFC prove that you cannot do a type of work you did within the past five years or adjust to doing other types of work.

Outstanding Northern California Asthma Disability Benefits Lawyers

The disability lawyers at Sackett and Associates have been assisting individuals throughout Northern California and nationwide with applications and appeals in all Social Security disability claims for over 45 years. Contact them for a free consultation to learn how they can make a difference in your claim for asthma disability benefits.