CALL TOLL FREE 1-800-375-3668
Looking for Some Financial Relief?
You may have a chronic cough or feel too weak and short of breath to do normal everyday activities. Climbing stairs or standing long enough to fix yourself something to eat may be too much for you if your heart’s not performing as it should be.
Heart failure. The name makes it sound like your heart has stopped beating or is about to, but you know that’s not accurate. It means your heart isn’t working as efficiently as it used to. A heart that’s no longer pumping the oxygen-rich blood your body needs rapidly enough or in large enough volume causes a host of problems.
If your symptoms are severe enough that you can no longer work, your income has stopped but your bills keep coming. Social Security Disability benefits provide much-needed financial relief
If you worked long enough and recently enough, and paid Social Security taxes, you might be eligible for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI).
But the truth is that your application will probably be denied. The government’s own statistics put the denial rate for new applications at about 79 percent.
That’s one reason why it can make a difference to have an experienced West Texas disability lawyer like Baynetta Jordan working for your claim. The disability law firm of Baynetta M. Jordan, P.C. has helped thousands of people.
If we have anything to say about it, Nobody Pushes West Texans Around™.
How to Qualify for Disability with Heart Failure in West Texas
Do you meet the basic requirements for disability benefits?
In addition to having the necessary work record, all applicants for SSDI must meet these general requirements:
- You cannot do work and engage in what Social Security calls “substantial gainful activity (SGA)” because of your medical condition.
- That means you cannot do work you did previously or adjust to other work because of your medical condition.
- Your condition has lasted or is expected to last for at least one year or eventually to lead to death.
Is your condition included in the SSA’s list of impairments that qualify for disability benefits?
Chronic heart failure is covered in Section 4.02 of Social Security’s official impairments listing under Cardiovascular System-Adult. “Chronic” means the condition lasts for a long period of time (as opposed to “acute,” which is a sudden, rapid decline in heart function).
Do you have proof that your condition is severe enough to keep you from working?
If your physician diagnosed you with heart failure, that alone won’t be enough to get you disability benefits. The SSA looks for proof of your condition based on:
- Symptoms,such as swelling (edema) in the legs, ankles or other parts of the body or shortness of breath caused by fluid collecting in the lungs (pulmonary edema).
- Laboratory findings,such as blood tests to measure levels of sodium and potassium (sometimes called electrolytes), albumin (a type of protein), creatinine (which is connected with kidney function) and certain biomarkers.
- Resultsof electrocardiograms (EKG) and echocardiograms.
- Responseto a regimen of prescribed treatment, which could include medications like vasodilators, diuretics, anticoagulants, beta-blockers, or tranquilizers.
- Functional limitations,as determined by exercise stress tests.
Wonder if your case of heart failure qualifies for disability benefits?
You can get an idea of what your claim for benefits will require in a no-cost, initial conversation with our disability law team.
What a West Texas Disability Attorney Can Do For Your Disability Claim for Heart Failure
You don’t have to have a lawyer help you apply for disability benefits, but it can increase your chances of success in the end.
It’s a complex process that you’ve probably never had to navigate before, and so many errors can lead to a denial.
Whether you make a mistake on the application, your doctor uses terminology other than what the SSA recognizes, you miss a deadline, or you don’t send in every bit of evidence they want—it all risks you not getting the benefits you need.
But for people with chronic heart failure, congestive heart failure or any other medical condition, an experienced Lubbock lawyer like Baynetta Jordan knows how to navigate this system.
It may be your first time applying for benefits, but we’ve done it thousands of times and can guide you.
We’ve been helping people in Lubbock, Plainview, Levelland, Midland-Odessa and all of West Texas for over 30 years.
When heart failure puts you out of commission for work, disability benefits can help you keep going and tend to your own well-being.