The Social Security Disability system was designed from its inception to provide a safety net for people with disabling conditions. Whether you have a disability yourself or your dependant child has a serious disability, you may be eligible for Social Security Disability benefits if your disability meets the SSA requirements.
In most cases, showing that you or your child has a disabling condition that is serious enough to merit Social Security Disability benefits is a time consuming process. Usually, the SSA takes between three and six months to even respond to your initial application. More often than not, their initial response is a denial of benefits. This usually leads to an even longer fight in the appeals process.
There are some conditions, however, that the Social Security Disability system recognizes as being disabling by definition. In other words, the very fact that you or your child is diagnosed with one of these conditions is proof enough that you are sufficiently disabled to qualify for Social Security Disability benefits. These qualifying conditions are called Compassionate Allowance Listings.
As of the time of this writing, there are 88 conditions that qualify you for a Compassionate Allowance. The Social Security Disability system is now set up so that applicants who have these conditions are automatically flagged and placed into a different category than applicants with conditions that do not automatically qualify them for SSD benefits. When your application is placed in the Compassionate Allowance program, your Social Security Disability claim receives faster attention, because there are fewer variables to be considered. Because of this, most Compassionate Allowance claimants begin receiving Social Security Disability benefits in a matter of weeks rather than several months or years.
Fukuyama Congenital Muscular Dystrophy – Condition and Symptoms
Fukuyama Congenital Muscular Dystrophy (FCMD) is a condition that causes defects in the brain, eyes, and muscles. It is inherited as a result of a defective gene that must be present in both parents.
Generally speaking, the first signs of Fukuyama congenital muscular dystrophy begin to show very early in a child’s life, typically during the early weeks of infancy. Early symptoms include poor feeding, a weak cry, and underdeveloped muscle tone. FCMD primarily affects the muscles used in movement, though it also affects the facial muscles.
Children with Fukuyama congenital muscular dystrophy are prone to weakness and deformities at the joints that cause difficulty and restrictions to movement. They are often slow to develop such motor skills as walking, standing, and sitting. The brain may also be affected, causing slow development of speech and intellectual capability (this may range from severe to moderate). Generally, a child’s social skills are not heavily impacted. Many children with Fukuyama Congenital Muscular Dystrophy also have congenital heart problems (especially after 10 years of age), vision impairments, and other eye abnormalities.
The majority of children with Fukuyama Congenital Muscular Dystrophy never learn how to walk or even to stand. Many can sit unaided, and some can even scoot across the floor using their hands. Most are confined to a wheelchair early in life and for the duration of their lives.
At this time, there is no cure for Fukuyama Congenital Muscular Dystrophy and there is no standard treatment that can reduce or slow the progression of the disease. There are several treatments that have met with some degree of success in managing the symptoms of the disease; including physical therapy, use of mechanical aids, and medical treatment for symptoms such as seizures.
Filing for Social Security Disability Benefits with Fukuyama Congenital Muscular Dystrophy
If your child has been diagnosed with Fukuyama Congenital Muscular Dystrophy, the first thing you should know is that the condition qualifies for immediate benefits under the Compassionate Allowances Listings.
What this means for you is that, as long as you turn in all of the required documentation and everything is in correct order, you should be approved and start receiving benefit checks within about a month. As a matter of fact, if your claim is not approved within that time, you or your representative should contact the Social Security Administration to find out why not.
Documentation that you should be sure to include with your Social Security Disability benefits application includes the record of the clinical exam that describes all physical findings that indicate the presence of FCMD, a complete family medical history, and the results of the genetic testing, which confirms the mutated FCMD gene. You should also include any neurological test results, blood test results, nerve conduction test results, and enzyme test results.
Your Fukuyama Congenital Muscular Dystrophy Social Security Disability Case
The main reason you should consider consulting a Social Security Disability lawyer for your Fukuyama Congenital Muscular Dystrophy claim is to make sure that all of the appropriate documentation is clear, correct, and complete. While there is no question regarding your qualifications for Social Security Disability benefits, having everything in order can help you begin receiving your benefits in three to six weeks, instead of three to eighteen months.
For a free evaluation of your Social Security Disability claim, simply fill out the request form below.
