BSD

Qualifying for Social Security With Diabetes 

If you have been diagnosed with diabetes and are unable to manage your symptoms, there may be financial assistance available for you. While diabetes alone is not a qualifying condition, complications may be eligible for aid. The Social Security Administration (SSA) offers benefits for people in need who are unable to work due to a serious disability. 

Medically Qualifying for Disability Via the Blue Book 

The SSA uses its own manual of qualifying criteria, known colloquially as the Blue Boo, when evaluating all Social Security disability benefits. Diabetes is listed in Section 9.00 of the Blue Book, but the SSA states that diabetes alone will not qualify for benefits. Instead, the SSA recommends that you try to find another listing in the Blue Book that meets a complication you may experience: 

·         Blindness:

·         Cardiac arrhythmias

·         Intestinal necrosis

·         Seizures

·         Mood or eating disorders

·         Neuropathy: 

And more. For example, if you have neuropathy due to diabetes and you’re unable to perform dexterous movements with your hands (typing, writing, using the phone, etc.), you should medically qualify for disability benefits. You will also qualify if you cannot stand without assistance from a chair, or walk without use of a wheelchair or walker. 

If you’ve had an amputation due to diabetes you also may qualify—anyone who’s unable to successfully use a prosthetic leg to walk, lost both hands, or who has lost one leg at the hip will be medically eligible. If you’ve lost a foot due to diabetes complications but are still mobile, you may need to qualify elsewhere.

The entire Blue Book is available online, so you can review the listings with your doctor to determine if you’re eligible for assistance. 

Medications and Qualifying: 

The SSA only offers disability benefits to people who are able to prove that they’re completely unable to work, despite following doctors’ advice and taking prescribed medications. This means that if you’re not taking any medication to manage your diabetes, or if you’re not following your doctor’s prescribed diet and exercise regime, you will not qualify for disability benefits.

Updated June 2018