Arthritis can affect much more than your joints. It can affect your quality of life.
Pain, stiffness, swelling, and limited movement can make it difficult to stand, walk, lift, or get through your workday. If your SSDI or SSI claim for arthritis has been denied, you may still have a path forward.
Patrick J. Kelly Law Office helps people challenge denied Social Security Disability claims. Patrick Kelly can review your denial, explain the issues in your case, and help you understand what evidence may support your arthritis appeal.
Can You Get Disability for Arthritis?
Yes, arthritis can qualify for Social Security Disability benefits when the symptoms and limitations make regular work difficult to sustain. However, having an arthritis diagnosis is not enough by itself.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) looks at what your condition actually prevents you from doing and whether those limitations are expected to continue for a year or more.
For example, SSA may consider whether arthritis makes it difficult to:
- Stand or walk for long periods
- Sit in one position
- Lift and carry objects
- Reach or bend
- Use your hands and fingers
- Maintain a steady work pace
- Return to your previous job
- Adjust to another type of work
People with disabling arthritis may qualify through one of two main Social Security programs.
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is generally available to people who meet the SSA’s disability requirements and have enough recent work history in jobs covered by Social Security.
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) provides benefits to individuals who meet SSA’s disability rules and financial eligibility limits.
Whether arthritis qualifies for disability hinges on the severity of your symptoms and how well your medical records document the challenges you face at work.
How Does SSA Evaluate Arthritis?
When it comes to your eligibility, the diagnosis is only one part of the picture. SSA also looks at how your symptoms limit your ability to work.
Types of arthritis that may support a disability claim include:
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Psoriatic arthritis
- Osteoarthritis
- Gout and pseudogout
- Ankylosing spondylitis
- Other inflammatory forms of arthritis
For someone with arthritis, SSA may consider limits involving:
- Standing and walking
- Sitting for extended periods
- Lifting and carrying
- Reaching
- Bending or climbing
- Gripping and handling objects
- Using your fingers for detailed tasks
- Changing positions throughout the day
- Staying focused or keeping pace because of pain or fatigue
What Evidence Can Support an Arthritis Disability Appeal?
Your medical records should show the ways arthritis limits your everyday activities and your ability to work. The strongest evidence gives SSA specific examples of the physical limits you deal with regularly.
Helpful evidence may include:
- Treatment records from doctors, rheumatologists, or orthopedic specialists
- X-rays, MRIs, CT scans, or other imaging
- Physical exam findings
- Records showing swelling, inflammation, weakness, or limited range of motion
- Grip or pinch-strength testing if arthritis affects your hands
- Physical or occupational therapy records
- Medication history and side effects
- Documentation of recurring flare-ups
- Records showing the medical need for a cane, walker, or other assistive device
- Medical opinions describing specific physical or functional limitations
A Social Security Disability lawyer for arthritis can review the record to see whether important evidence was missing, unclear, or overlooked when your claim was denied.
Why Are Arthritis Disability Claims Denied?
Even severe arthritis does not automatically result in an approval. SSA may decide that the evidence does not show enough limitations to prevent you from working.
Common reasons for a denial may include:
- Medical records do not clearly describe your functional limitations
- SSA does not believe the condition will remain disabling for at least one year
- Important treatment records are missing
- SSA believes you can return to a previous job
- SSA believes you can perform another type of work
Sometimes the issue is whether the record clearly connects your symptoms to the work activities you can no longer perform.
A denial does not necessarily mean your case is over. Depending on where the claim stands, the next step may include reconsideration, an administrative law judge hearing, Appeals Council review, or another level of appeal.
How Can a Lawyer Help After an Arthritis Disability Denial?
An appeal is an opportunity to address the reasons SSA denied the claim and strengthen the evidence where needed. Patrick Kelly can review the decision, determine where the case may have fallen short, and help build stronger evidence showing the work limitations caused by arthritis.
Need a Social Security Disability attorney for an arthritis claim? Patrick J. Kelly Law Office can assist by:
- Reviewing the denial and medical record
- Identifying missing or incomplete evidence
- Addressing issues with an RFC assessment
- Developing evidence of pain, fatigue, mobility, or hand-use limitations
- Preparing you for an administrative law judge hearing
- Helping explain your limitations clearly during the appeal
- Handling later stages of review when necessary
Our firm focuses on Social Security Disability appeals. If your arthritis-related SSDI or SSI claim has been denied, we can review the decision, explain your appeal options, and help you identify any available evidence that may strengthen your case.
Speak With an Arthritis Disability Lawyer
If SSA has denied your SSDI or SSI claim, you do not have to figure out the appeal process by yourself.
Patrick J. Kelly Law Office helps disabled people pursue Social Security benefits after a denial. We have decades of experience representing clients through disability appeals, including hearings, Appeals Council review, and federal court.
Contact us to request a free consultation or call 510-769-4895 to discuss your denied claim with an experienced arthritis disability attorney.
