How Do I Show I’m Eligible for Social Security Disability for CVI?
Chronic venous insufficiency is fairly common in the United States. The National Institutes of Health estimates 10 to 35 percent of adults have it, with as many as 150,000 new cases diagnosed every year.
In most cases, the valves in your veins that send blood back to your heart have worn down. This may be hereditary, or you may have developed CVI after a serious blood clot such as deep-vein thrombosis.
It most often impacts people over 55. (And you should know, Social Security Disability benefits can be easier to get when you’re over 50.)
CVI causes blood to pool in your legs. In your application for disability benefits you’ll need to document how symptoms like these happen to you:
- Swelling or heaviness in your legs
- Varicose or spider veins
- Dry and flaky skin
- Dark patches on your skin
If left untreated, CVI gets worse and can lead to ulcers on your legs.
To qualify for SSDI benefits, your condition must meet Social Security’s definition of work-stopping CVI. This includes evidence of:
- Brawny edema—dense, hard swelling—in two-thirds of your leg below your knee or a third of the backside of your entire leg.
- Or enlarged, twisted veins known as varicosities, discoloration of your skin, and recurring or persistent ulcers that don’t heal after at least three months of treatment.
These symptoms can make moving unbearable and working a daily job next to impossible. But you’ll have to prove this to get SSDI benefits.
The Oregon disability lawyers at Wells, Manning, Eitenmiller & Taylor can help you. We’ve helped many, many Oregonians with disability claims.
We can help you make the strongest case for benefits, whether you’re applying for the first time or fighting a denial.
We’ll take a first look at your case free of charge.
Evidence You Need to Get Disability Benefits for Chronic Venous Insufficiency
While Social Security recognizes chronic venous insufficiency as a qualified disability eligible for benefits, you still have to prove your case.
Your CVI must be severe enough that you and your doctor can show you can’t hold a full-time, steady job for at least a year.
Meeting Social Security’s standards for a CVI disability claim is the most clear-cut way to qualify. But every case is different, and you may have a combination of conditions that, put together, show Social Security your health has negatively impacted your ability to work.
When you apply for benefits, you’ll have to collect all the records and documents of your ailment, which may include:
- Doctor’s reports and diagnoses
- Ultrasounds and other tests of your legs
- Evidence of treatment
- Statements from friends, family, or former employers describing how your condition has hurt daily activities
It can be tough to put all this together, especially when you’re distracted and drained by health problems.
If you live in western Oregon, call on the disability lawyers at Wells, Manning, Eitenmiller & Taylor to do the work for you.
We’ll help you get the financial relief you need to focus on what’s important: managing your health and living your life.
We’re with You Every Step of the Way
Whether you’re trying to determine if you’re qualified for disability benefits, you need help filing your application, or you received a denial notice and want another chance, our law firm helps from the beginning and stays by your side.
Have a Question about Disability Benefits?
Your health is bad. You can’t work. Your financial stability is threatened. So your head is swimming with questions. How will you get by? How does Social Security Disability work? We’ve gathered answers. See them here:
Disability FAQs »
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