When You Need Disability Benefits but Your Condition is “Invisible”

When You Need Disability Benefits but Your Condition is “Invisible”

By Angelina Valle When you have health problems that make it impossible for you to work, it’s obvious to you. But it’s hard to win Social Security Disability benefits.

Most people are denied when they first apply. Even when they appeal their case to a judge, they still get denied 56 percent of the time, according to 2017 statistics from the Social Security Administration.

So imagine if your medical condition is one that other people cannot see, like a mental health impairment or chronic pain. It makes proving your case to Social Security that much harder.

Conditions like those are more challenging for health care providers and Social Security claims examiners to confirm.

Society in general has trouble accepting this kind of health problem. If people can’t see it, they don’t believe it.

We need to end these misunderstandings and stigmas. In my California disability law practice, I meet people who are hurting because of their health. They need Social Security Disability benefits. But they have to deal with other people’s negative perceptions on top of everything else.

Any of us could encounter this kind of impairment and need help. So groups advocating for people with disabilities are working to improve awareness of invisible disabilities.

What Are Hidden Disabilities?

The independent health and disability news source Disabled World Towards Tomorrow describes invisible, or “hidden,” disabilities as “disabilities that are not immediately apparent.”

The website Disabled­World.com summarizes the problem: “People with some kinds of invisible disabilities, such as chronic pain or some kind of sleep disorder, are often accused of faking or imagining their disabilities.”

An article on Disabled­World.com lists these examples:   

Hearing impairments that don’t require people to wear hearing aids.

Vision impairments that don’t involve wearing glasses.

Mobility limitations from joint conditions that cause serious pain but aren’t addressed with any kind of clearly visible assistive device.

How Many People Experience Invisible Disabilities?

An entire organization, called The Invisible Disabilities Association, is dedicated to helping people who experience these kinds of illnesses, pain and disability.

An overwhelming number of people who have any kind of disability have an invisible disability, the association reported on its website.

The group cited a 1995 study that found out of 26 million Americans who were considered to have a severe disability, only 7 million used a wheelchair, cane, crutches or a walker.

That means 74 percent of those with a severe disability did not use one of those visible aids associated with someone who has a disability.

Hidden disabilities can include many common medical conditions: • Mental health conditions like major depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders and post­traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

• Traumatic brain injury • Epilepsy • HIV/Aids • Diabetes • Chronic fatigue syndrome • Chronic pain • Fibromyalgia • Migraines • Rheumatoid arthritis Social Security Benefits and Invisible Disabilities For people who can’t work and need financial help, many of these invisible disabilities are missing from the official list of impairments Social Security keeps, called the “Blue Book.”

But you still can qualify for benefits.

Any condition that keeps you from being able to work could qualify.

If you have an impairment that’s not among those on the list, you should provide a “Residual Functional Capacity (RFC)” assessment to Social Security.

That shows how your health condition limits your ability to work.

The RFC “considers all of your impairment­related mental and physical limitations,” according to the Blue Book.

For example, side effects of some medications could reduce your general alertness, adversely affect your concentration or physically limit your capacity to work.

The RFC should include all of your medical evidence that confirms your disability and how it prevents you from working. You will need to show you are following your doctor’s recommended treatments and are taking the prescribed medications.

If you or someone you know needs the financial and emotional support a disability benefit can provide, you should enlist the help of an experienced professional, like a disability lawyer.

He or she can help you determine if you qualify for benefits, then help you put together a strong application, giving your case its best chance for success against the challenges of invisible disabilities.

Angelina Valle has more than 30 years experience with disability law and helping people win their disability cases. She is passionate about helping and representing people with disabilities who are in need in the San Jose and Salinas, California, communities.