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Incapacity to Work Due to Pulmonary Hypertension | RFC

Incapacity to Work Due to Pulmonary Hypertension | RFC

The most common reason to qualify for SSDI for Pulmonary Hypertension is Cor Pulmonale. Cor pulmonale is a medical disorder that affects the anatomy and function of the heart's right ventricle. The most prevalent cause is pulmonary hypertension. Cor pulmonale is a kind of right-sided heart failure in which the right ventricle ceases to pump blood to the lungs.

Is it Possible to Get Disability Benefits for Pulmonary Hypertension?
A diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension is inadequate to qualify for disability compensation. However, if you have moderate to severe disability that prevent you from working for at least a year and have excellent medical records, the Social Security Administration ("Social Security") may accept you for benefits.

There are two methods to qualify for Social Security disability benefits:

- Meeting someone using a "listing" The Social Security Administration provides a disability evaluation manual that explains the disability criteria for various medical illnesses. These rules are referred to as "listings" by Social Security.

​- Being unable to work owing to physical or mental constraints Even if you do not satisfy the requirements, you may be eligible for disability payments if you can demonstrate that you have a serious medical impairment that prevents you from doing employment duties.

Incapacity to Work Due to Pulmonary Hypertension | RFC
The majority of disability applications approved for benefits do not meet one of the criteria mentioned in Social Security's evaluation guide. Instead, Social Security approves them because the applicants' limitations prevent them from doing their past work or transferring into another type of labour.

Social Security will first review your medical records to determine if there is sufficient proof that you have a serious medical condition that impairs your ability to do numerous work-related tasks. A claims assessor will first establish your Residual Functional Capacity (RFC), which is the most strenuous labour you can undertake despite the constraints induced by your medical condition (medium, light, or sedentary). Due to weariness and shortness of breath, your doctor may limit you to standing or walking a specific number of hours per day or lifting and carrying a particular number of pounds at one time if you have pulmonary hypertension.

A real RFC for someone with pulmonary hypertension can have the following restrictions:
- Lift and carry no more than twenty pounds sometimes (defined as 1/3 of an eight-hour workday) and 
- Ten pounds regularly (defined as happening from 1/3 to 2/3 of an eight-hour workday)
- Stoop, squat, crawl, kneel, or bend on occasion
- Never attempt to climb ladders, ropes, or scaffolds
- Climb ramps or stairs on occasion
- No employment at exposed heights or near irregularly moving surfaces, and 
- No exposure to lung irritants such as fumes, pollen, dust, or smells.

Someone with these limits would be unable to accomplish most tasks since they would be restricted to sitting jobs, but they would also be unable to fulfil many of the physical requirements of even a sitting work.

For more information about how Social Security determines if your RFC keeps you from working, you can seek legal help from our expert disability attorneys at The Law Office of Irene Ruzin.


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Thursday, 28 March 2024