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What Qualifies You for Disability in Ohio?

Injured patient from work applying for disability.

Many people in Ohio might not realize they are eligible for disability payments from the Social Security Administration (SSA). These benefits may be available to people with an impairment that is expected to be fatal or that prevents them from working for at least a year.

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What Medical Conditions Are Covered Under Disability in Ohio?

The Blue Book is a publication issued by the SSA, which is updated each year and lists mental and physical conditions that qualify a person to receive Social Security Disability Insurance benefits (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

Some of the many conditions listed in the Blue Book include:

  • Cancer
  • Mental disorders such as anxiety and depression
  • Back injuries and other musculoskeletal issues
  • Kidney disease
  • Cardiovascular conditions such as coronary artery disease and heart failure
  • Bone marrow failure and hematological disorders
  • Hearing and vision loss
  • Liver disease
  • Irritable bowel syndrome and other digestive tract problems
  • Respiratory illnesses such as asthma and COPD
  • Neurological disorders such as cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and Parkinson’s disease
  • Marfan syndrome
  • Immune system disorders such as HIV/AIDS and rheumatoid arthritis
  • Sjogren’s syndrome

How Do You Get Disability for Listed Medical Conditions?

You can typically access disability benefits if you have a Blue Book listed condition, your illness is medically equivalent to a listed condition, or you have another condition that makes you unable to work.

You’ll need to take one or more steps to access disability payments, depending on your condition:

  • Get a diagnosis. Visit a medical professional to get an official diagnosis for your medically determinable impairment. For a limited number of conditions, such as serious cancers or organ transplants, you can get automatic disability approval just on the basis of the diagnosis.
  • Check the criteria for your specific condition. For most conditions, a simple diagnosis isn’t enough to get disability approval. You’ll also need to meet the exact medical criteria for your specific condition.

To identify whether you meet these criteria, you’ll usually need to get specific lab or clinical tests, which your doctor can typically perform. Alternatively, you can get a consultative examination through the Social Security Administration, although this might lengthen the amount of time for your claim.

Additionally, to get SSDI disability benefits in Ohio, your job history must meet certain work requirements. You must typically show that you worked a minimum number of years and that you worked recently enough to qualify for benefits.

These requirements vary depending on the age at which you became disabled. For example, if you became disabled when you were 23, then you typically only need to have worked for one and a half years, whereas if you were disabled at 58, then you must have worked for at least nine years.

Requirements additionally vary for SSI, which provides financial assistance to disabled individuals who have very limited income and resources and may not have work credits.

Which Medical Condition Is Most Likely to Qualify for Disability?

Whether an applicant qualifies for disability will depend on the severity of their functional limitations due to their condition, how much this interferes with their ability to work, and how the impairment is expected to affect them in the future.

Some conditions that are most likely to qualify for disability at the initial application stage include severe impairments like multiple sclerosis and cancer. Other conditions that often qualify include intellectual disorders, congestive heart failure, diabetic neuropathy, and chronic respiratory disorders.

However, for most conditions, applicants typically have to request a hearing in order to get approval for these impairments, and the most successful applicants work with an experienced disability attorney in Ohio.

How Do You Apply for Disability?

You can apply for disability benefits in person at your local Social Security office or over the phone at 800-772-1213. Additionally, most people can apply for disability online, although this is not an option if:

  • You are already receiving benefits on your Social Security record.
  • The Social Security office has denied your disability benefits in the past 60 days.
  • Your medical condition is expected to last fewer than 12 months.

Whichever method you choose, you’ll need to complete a Disability Benefit Application and gather the required information and documents listed in the Adult Disability Checklist, such as your job history and medical records to support your claim.

Necessary medical information will include things like:

  • The names and addresses of any medical professional you’ve visited over the past five years
  • Documentation of your diagnosis
  • Related test results
  • The functional limitations caused by your impairment
  • The physicians’ treatment plans

If your initial application gets denied, then you can file a Request for Reconsideration and request an appeals hearing before a judge. Applicants who get an appeal hearing typically have a much higher rate of success in qualifying for benefits. A skilled Ohio disability benefits attorney can guide you through this process and help you fight to get the benefits you’re owed.

Is There a Time Limit for How Long a Person Can Stay on Disability?

People can usually continue to receive benefits as long as they remain disabled to the point that it interferes with their ability to work, but there are certain circumstances in which their benefits might stop.

For example, if your condition improves to the point where you are no longer disabled, then your benefits will likely stop. In addition, if you are able to return to work at a certain level, then your benefits might stop or get reduced.

Talk to an Ohio Disability and Benefits Attorney Today

If you think you might be eligible for disability benefits, if you need to appeal an unfavorable disability decision, or if you have a question about accessing your benefits, call Heller, Maas, Moro & Magill Co., LPA today. Our Ohio disability and benefits lawyers have over 25 years of experience helping people seek the benefits they deserve. We want to do the same for you.

Call us today or reach us online to schedule your free case evaluation.