What if I have a disability?
Do you have a long history of getting jobs, but not being able to keep them? You might have a disability. When most people imagine a disability, they think of people who have physical limitations that limit their movement, for example using a cane, walker, or wheelchair. But many disabilities are based on episodic symptoms that do not always occur but impair someone’s ability to work when they do. It’s not whether you can work a day, a week, or even a month at time, but can you work full time on a regular, sustained basis without missing days or being off task because of your symptoms?
Maintaining Work
Vocational (or job) experts almost uniformly agree—and will testify in a hearing—that there are incredibly strict tolerances in the competitive workforce for unscheduled breaks and absences, particularly missing work that is not planned in advance. Employers expect you to be able to work when they need you to work. Many people cannot meet employer expectations to get through probationary periods, not point out, or even keep longstanding jobs when new medical impairments arise.
What qualifies as a Social Security Disability?
A diagnosis alone rarely ever qualifies someone for Social Security disability. It almost always comes down to the severity of the impairment. But a variety of diagnoses can impair a person’s ability to successfully sustain work. For just a few examples, headache disorders including migraines, seizures, mood disorders like depression that cause good and bad days, bipolar disorder that has uncontrolled manic phases, sleep disorders, gastrointestinal issues like irritable bowel syndrome, and any condition that requires emergency treatment at times. Many such cases come down to the frequency of the interruptions and the claimant’s ability to document that frequency with proper evidence.
What Can I Do?
If you have tried working, again and again, but haven’t been successful in keeping a job, call Keller & Keller for a free evaluation and tell us your story.
