Diabetes is a fairly common disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), roughly one out of every 10 Americans suffers from the condition in one form or another.
For the most part, merely having diabetes isn’t enough for the Social Security Administration (SSA) to consider your condition disabling. Many people are able to manage the symptoms of their disease — or even eliminate them — through a combination of diet, exercise and medication.
In order to qualify for Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits due to diabetes, there are two things that you may need to show:
- Your condition is not under control, despite your best efforts. Uncontrolled diabetes can definitely be very limiting. However, you have to show that you’re doing everything in your power to manage your condition. That means taking your medication on time, following your doctor’s recommended diet and exercise plan and keeping your medical appointments.
- Despite your efforts to stop the progression of the disease, you have developed significant complications. Diabetes is a contributing factor or cause of many other medical problems, including kidney disease, heart ailments, vision problems, skin infections and depression. Your disability may arise from a combination of these problems — which can occur in diabetic patients over time even when they do manage their condition properly.
The vast majority of people who file claims for Social Security Disability benefits for any condition — including diabetes — are denied. You may have better hope of an approval during your appeal if you work with an experienced attorney to eliminate gaps in information in your application and better explain how the combined effects of your condition are so limiting.