Get Financial Support for a Debilitating Disease
When muscular dystrophy attacks your muscles, you lose strength and control over your body. It clearly disrupts your ability to work.
And with that, you lose your ability to earn an income. You face extreme expenses getting treatment for the disease. You worry how you—or someone close to you with this disease—will survive financially.
Social Security Disability benefits could be the answer. They come with monthly checks and eligibility for Medicare or Medicaid health coverage. Disability benefits can restore a sense of independence and dignity to someone living with muscular dystrophy.
But you can’t just sign up for benefits. Most people get denied. You have to prove to Social Security—by providing strong evidence—that you or your loved one’s medical condition makes it impossible to function in any job.
It can make a major difference to work with a disability lawyer who takes the time to understand your health problems and your individual claim for benefits. With a disease like muscular dystrophy, every case is different.
At The Morgan Law Firm we’re dedicated to helping people turn disability denials into approvals. We’ve helped thousands in South Bend, across Indiana and in Michigan.
How Muscular Dystrophy Robs You of Your Ability to Earn a Living
In muscular dystrophy, abnormal genes interfere with proteins needed to form healthy muscle. It causes irreversible muscle damage and gets progressively worse over time.
Eventually, people with this disease may have limbs that curl inward and need to use a wheelchair. It can be impossible for them to work, which is the key to winning disability benefits.
You can qualify for one of two major disability programs with muscular dystrophy: Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) for people who worked a substantial amount before developing debilitating health problems and Supplemental Security Income (SSI), which helps people who’ve not been able to work and earn much income.
And muscular dystrophy isn’t truly one disease, but many different ones. It comes in two major forms:
- Duchenne muscular dystrophy: This is the most common type and is most prevalent in males. It can erode gross motor skills, affecting the way someone walks. It causes frequent falls, pain and stiffness, difficulty rising from seated or lying positions and learning disabilities.
- Becker muscular dystrophy: This type is similar to Duchenne but takes longer to develop. Symptoms may not appear until a person is in his or her 20s or later.
How to Qualify for Disability for Muscular Dystrophy
To qualify for Social Security Disability benefits for muscular dystrophy, you must prove one of the following scenarios to the government:
Option 1: You have severe loss of muscle function in two extremities, causing extreme limitation in one of the following skills:
- Standing from a seated position
- Balancing while standing or walking
- Using your arms
Option 2: You have marked physical limitations along with problems in one of the following cognitive areas:
- Thinking, remembering, understanding or applying information
- Interacting with others
- Concentrating and completing tasks
- Managing emotions, taking care of oneself or handling change
Evidence You Need to Win Disability for Muscular Dystrophy
To appeal a denial of benefits, you will need to provide thorough medical evidence, including:
- DNA or blood enzyme tests
- Results from MRIs, CT scans, X-rays or other imaging tests
- Reports from your doctors
- Muscle biopsy results
- Nerve condition studies
- Reports from your physical therapy
- Lists of medications and their effects
Get Help with Your Muscular Dystrophy Disability Claim
An experienced disability attorney can gather and organize your medical evidence, work history, forms you have to fill out and more. It’s vital to have someone by your side who knows the Social Security system and its many rules and procedures.
When you’re appealing a disability denial, you may even need to present your case to a Social Security administrative law judge. If you have representation at that level, your chances of being awarded benefits are almost three times higher, according to a government report.
If you live in the South Bend area and muscular dystrophy is impacting you or your family, call The Morgan Law Firm. You’ll pay no attorney fee until you win benefits.