Cervical Degenerative Disc Disease can qualify for Disability Benefits

Cervical Degenerative Disc Disease and qualifying for Disability Benefits

Sarah gripped the armrests of her chair, wincing as a jolt of pain shot through her neck and down her arm. It had been like this for months, a constant dull ache punctuated by sharp, debilitating spasms. Cervical disc degenerative disease, the doctor had said, is a result of years of wear and tear. The once-simple tasks of typing at her desk or driving to work had become herculean efforts. Now, facing increasing medical bills and the daunting reality of her limited ability to work, Sarah knew she had to make a difficult decision: apply for disability benefits. It was a path she never imagined taking, but the time had come to pursue every avenue possible to make her life better.

If you are one of the unfortunate few who have struggled to maintain employment due to CDDD, you may wish to explore whether to apply for disability benefits or not, and what you will need to qualify.

Qualifying for SDDI with Cervical degenerative disc disease

To qualify for Social Security Disability (SSDI) you will need to satisfy both the financial and medical requirements set forth by the SSA. If you do not meet those requirements, you will be denied benefits.

Financial Requirements:

Before you are eligible for Social Security disability benefits, you must satisfy some basic financial requirements.

You must: 1) have a disability that has lasted or is expected to last 12 months; 2) you must have worked in a job where you paid Social Security taxes long enough and recently enough; and 3) you must not earn more than $1,620 per month in 2025. This figure is referred to as SGA or Substantial Gainful Activity. However, if you are visually impaired, the SGA threshold increases to $2,700 per month. If you earn more than SGA, your claim will be denied, and if you have not accumulated enough work credits due to insufficient recent work history, your claim will be denied. (go here for an explanation of work credits ->)

If you think you meet the financial requirements, you should then check SSA’s medical requirements to see if you satisfy those criteria.

Medical Requirements:

The Social Security Administration has a listing of disabling impairments called the Blue Book.

This manual contains a list of medical conditions and illnesses Social Security considers severe enough to impact one’s ability to work. This guide is divided into sections, each providing information on different health conditions and the level of impairment necessary to be eligible for disability benefits. While some disabling conditions are fairly easy to prove, others can be more challenging. The criteria to qualify can be confusing, but fortunately there are medical professionals and legal advocates available to provide guidance and assistance in navigating this complex process.

In April 2021, the Social Security Administration updated its listings under Section 1 Musculoskeletal Disorders.

Cervical disc degenerative disease is now evaluated under Section 1.15 Disorders of the skeletal spine resulting in compromise of a nerve root(s). A person with a compromised nerve root of the cervical spine may experience numbness, tingling, or pain in the neck, shoulder, arm, hand, or fingers, called “cervical radiculopathy.” If the inflammation or impingement of the nerve root is severe, it could impact an individual’s fine motor skills, making it difficult for them to use their hands and fingers to type, write, or hold and lift objects. In order to qualify for Social Security Disability Income under this listing, you must prove that a nerve root is compressed, and that you have radiating pain, tingling, numbness, muscle fatigue and poor reflexes. Also, you must not be able to use either hand for fine and gross motor movements like those described above.

If you do not meet the requirements of the listing, you may still qualify for disability benefits if you are unable to work.

Social Security will conduct a residual functional capacity assessment (RFC) to evaluate your limitations. Social Security will also consider your age, education, and job experience to see if there are any jobs you are capable of performing.

Additionally, you may be eligible for Social Security Disability benefits if you have another impairment; for example, arthritis.

Applicants often have more than one illness or injury that prevents them from working full time. By itself one disorder may not meet the requirements of an impairment as stated in Social Security’s Blue Book. However, if an applicant has multiple medical conditions, Social Security must consider how those health issues, combined together, limit an applicant’s ability to hold a job and perform necessary daily tasks.

Filing a claim for disability benefits and getting approval can be a long journey, but you can take the first steps today.

Feel free to call us for a free consultation to discuss your case and options. Even if you don’t hire us, we are happy to help you make the best choices for your own individual situation.

One client, from Wichita Falls, Texas, stopped working due to a degenerative spinal condition and filed for short term disability through AT&T, which was both her employer and her LTD insurance provider.

She was under the medical care of a board certified neurologist and remained on short term disability until those benefits expired. At that time, her claim was transitioned to long term disability under AT&T’s Disability Income Plan. Her doctor determined she was totally disabled, both from her own occupation at the phone company, as well as any occupation within the open labor market in which she resided. Her employer was acquired by another which reviewed and denied her claim.

She hired us, and we were able to settle her claim.

An Austin client suffered from severe back pain resulting from L4-5 disc disease, as well as bilateral facet/SI joint pain.

His medications included Celebrex, Sanaflex, Norco and others. He is permanently disabled and will never be able to return to work. Indeed, that is what each of his physicians had stated and this was the finding reached by the Social Security Administration. In its denial letters and the appeal denial letters, Reliance Standard showed a lack of deference to the findings of our client’s doctors and surgeons and, in fact, a total reliance on its internal claims review personnel to support its denial. He was unable to sit or stand for more than 30 minutes at a time and spent most of his days in bed due to pain. He was unable to drive due to pain and medication.

We won after taking his case to trial, with benefits reinstated.