Augusta Social Security disability lawyers Harrison and Lamar give a general overview for evaluating a disability claim for Diabetes Mellitus

The Social Security Administration (SSA) sees many claimants for Social Security disability benefits who suffer from diabetes. Diabetes mellitus affects the entire body and is linked to a number of serious complications that can prevent you from working.

To succeed on your claim for Social Security disability benefits, you must establish one of the following two elements:

  1. Your diabetes is severe enough to meet or equal a listing according to the Social Security regulations; or
  2. Your diabetes stops you from performing your former jobs and any other jobs that are available in sufficient numbers that you could perform considering your education, experience, and age.

Meeting or equaling a listing

For Social Security benefits, only the most severe cases brought before SSA will qualify under the diabetes listing. To qualify under, or meet, the listing you must have one of the following three conditions:

  • Retinitis proliferans (an eye disease that damages the retina) with significant loss of vision;
  • Acidosis (a serious disturbance in blood chemistry usually requiring hospitalization) that occurs every two months on average; or
  • Neuropathy (nerve damage) in two extremities so severe that it disturbs your ability to move, walk, and stand.

Even if you do not have one of the conditions stated in the diabetes listing, you may still have a combination of disabilities that equal the severity of a disability listing when they are combined. For instance, you may deal with one or more of the complications linked to diabetes such as foot ulcers, kidney failure, stroke, or heart disease.

Proving to SSA that you are unable to work

If your diabetes and its accompanying complications are not severe enough to meet or equal the listings used by SSA, you will need to prove that they prevent you from performing past jobs and any other potential jobs that are available in significant numbers based on your age, experience and education. It will be extremely important for you to get a complete and thorough description of your symptoms from your physician. You should also be prepared to testify about your illnesses in great detail at your administrative law hearing. An Augusta area Social Security disability attorney from Harrison and Lamar can send your physician a form to complete or mail a letter requesting your physician to describe your symptoms. Additionally, please be sure that you can keep a journal where you write down your daily symptoms.

Are you having trouble going to school or going to work due to diabetes? If so, you should strongly consider getting help from experienced Augusta Social Security disability lawyers  Harrison and Lamar. With their 59 years of combined legal experience, they will make sure that SSA will receive all of the necessary documentation and medical evidence it needs to classify you as disabled for Social Security disability benefits purposes. And, the attorneys at Harrison and Lamar will not charge you a fee unless they win your case. To schedule a free initial consultation of your claim, please call the Augusta Social Security disability lawyers at Harrison and Lamar at 706-722-6864.

Harrison and Lamar
16 Ninth Street
Augusta, GA 30901
Phone: 706-722-6864
Fax: 706-724-1933