Strokes are a significant and serious medical event. If you experience a stroke resulting in significant brain injury that prevents you from working, you may qualify for Social Security disability benefits.
Can You Get Social Security Disability After a Stroke?
During a stroke, blood flow to the brain decreases or stops. This causes significant brain injury and leaves many people with lifelong disabilities including difficulty communicating and walking. Stroke victims also often experience damaged vision.
Some individuals recover from a stroke but many do not, rendering them unable to perform full-time work. These individuals should consider filing an application for the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs.
Blue Book Listing 11.04, Vascular Insult to the Brain
There are many steps involved in filing for disability, particularly if your initial application is denied. Throughout the process, the Social Security Administration (SSA) uses a classification system called the “Blue Book” to guide their decision-making around benefits. SSA’s Blue Book contains listings of medical conditions that qualify for disability benefits as well as the criteria associated with each condition.
Strokes fall under listing 11.04, Vascular insult to the brain. Individuals who had a stroke must display at least one of the following three characteristics to qualify for disability:
“A. Sensory or motor aphasia resulting in ineffective speech or communication (see 11.00E1) persisting for at least 3 consecutive months after the insult.
OR
B. Disorganization of motor function in two extremities (see 11.00D1), resulting in an extreme limitation (see 11.00D2) in the ability to stand up from a seated position, balance while standing or walking, or use the upper extremities, persisting for at least 3 consecutive months after the insult.
OR
C. Marked limitation (see 11.00G2) in physical functioning (see 11.00G3a) and in one of the following areas of mental functioning, both persisting for at least 3 consecutive months after the insult:
- Understanding, remembering, or applying information or
- Interacting with others; or
- Concentrating, persisting, or maintaining pace
- Adapting or managing oneself”
Disability Lawyers Winston-Salem
The process of applying for disability benefits can take months or even years. Often, claims must pass through many stages before a decision is made. That’s why claimants working with an experienced disability lawyer win more claims than those who handle their claim alone. At Collins Price, our disability lawyers in Winston-Salem assist claimants with serious medical conditions apply for or appeal denied disability benefits.
There is never any charge for our services unless we win your claim. Contact us today for a free consultation.
