Chest pain is a very common, and often quite serious, symptom caused by a variety of different medical conditions including angina, heart attack, heart disease, and pleurisy, among others. Depending upon the cause of the chest pain, this pain can lead to life threatening complications that can make it impossible to maintain a job.
Applying for Social Security Disability Due to Chest Pain
If your chest pain becomes unmanageable, and limits your ability to perform any type of work, you may consider applying for Social Security Disability benefits.
If the causes of your chest pain, or the severe symptoms that you are experiencing, meet the qualifications of a listing within the SSA’s blue book, you have a chance of being approved for benefits. You may also be able to receive approval if you meet the requirements to receive what is known as a medical vocational allowance.
Qualifying for SSD Benefits Based on Chest Pain Causes and Symptoms
The SSA will look at the cause of your chest pain to determine your eligibility. There are several different listings within the blue book that chest pain may fall under. These include:
- Chronic pulmonary insufficiency
- Symptomatic congenital heart disease
- Peripheral neuropathies
- Ischemic heart disease
Each of these listings contains specific criteria that you will need to meet in order to receive approval. Examples of possible criteria include:
- Having an obstruction of the pulmonary that results in elevated blood pressure
- Intermittent right-to-left shunting resulting in cyanosis
OR
- Significant limitations to the ability to independently initiate or sustain activities of daily living
If the origin of your chest pain does not meet any of the listed requirements in the blue book, there are still ways to receive a vocational allowance. This is achieved by submitting a physical residual functional capacity assessment. This assessment evaluates your ability to complete common workplace tasks. If your chest pain significantly restricts your ability to perform these tasks, you may be approved for benefits.
Medical Evidence Necessary When Applying for SSD Benefits
In order to receive approval, it is essential to provide thorough medical evidence that demonstrates the cause, severity, and frequency of your chest pain. The SSA will specifically look for evidence that proves you cannot control your symptoms, even with the help of treatment. The medical evidence you will need might include:
- Physician’s notes detailing your diagnosis, severity of symptoms, and prognosis
- History of treatments, and the outcome of those treatments
- Summarization of relevant doctor visits
- Diagnostic test results relevant to the cause of your chest pain
Hiring a Social Security Disability Attorney When Applying for Benefits
Applying for Social Security Disability benefits can be quite challenging. Many people, even those with severe symptoms, are turned down each year because they do not provide enough evidence.
You can avoid being denied by enlisting the services of an experienced Social Security Disability attorney. A professional will know how to prepare your application in order to increase your likelihood of receiving approval.
