What Does Social Security Need to See in a Heart Failure Disability Claim?
Social Security lists chronic heart failure in its official listing of impairments that can qualify for disability benefits, so it has a specific way of evaluating your disability claim.
The first important component is showing that you have one of these two conditions:
Systolic heart failure: When your heart doesn’t contract and expel enough blood due to weakness in the left ventricle
Diastolic heart failure: When your heart muscle can’t relax and fill with blood due to a thickened or stiff left ventricle
Then your heart failure disability claim needs to show one of the following issues:
1. Persistent symptoms of heart failure that severely limit your ability to complete activities of daily living
2. Three or more separate episodes of acute congestive heart failure within a consecutive 12-month period that required hospitalization or emergency room treatment for 12 hours or more
3. An inability to perform on an exercise tolerance test at a basic energy level due to one of the following:
a. Shortness of breath, palpitations, chest discomfort or fatigue
b. Three or more consecutive premature ventricular contractions
c. Blood pressure irregularities
d. Inadequate blood flow to the brain
Meeting these specific requirements can make it easier to convince a claims examiner that you deserve benefits, but it’s not the only way to get approved when you apply for disability.
You could also show the Social Security Administration (SSA) that you meet the general definition of disability by being unable to work any job for 12 months or longer.
Whichever standard you aim to meet, our St. George disability lawyers can help you build a convincing heart failure disability claim.
What Kind of Evidence Do I Need for a Heart Failure Disability Claim?
Whether your heart failure meets the official listing standards or Social Security’s general definition of disability, a claims examiner won’t simply take you at your word about your symptoms.
You’ll need hard evidence. The more you have, the more convincing your heart failure disability claim will be.
Items that can help include:
- Chest X-rays
- Echocardiogram and electrocardiogram (ECG) results
- Results of lab tests and blood work
- Results of ejection fraction (EF) tests
- Records of hospitalizations and emergency room visits
- Results from exercise tolerance tests and stress tests
- A list of prescription medications you’re taking
- Medical records that show you have difficulty completing daily activities like walking up and down stairs and doing chores around the house
- Psychological evaluations, especially when you also suffer from mental health issues like anxiety or depression
- Information about treatments you’ve tried and how much they helped
Our Utah disability attorneys understand what evidence you need for your claim. We know what Social Security looks for when deciding whether someone deserves benefits.
We’ll help you gather what you need, fill in gaps in your application and tell your story to the SSA in your own words.
What to Do If Your Heart Failure Disability Claim Gets Denied: A Step-by-Step Guide
Only around one-third of initial disability claims have been getting approved in Utah lately in Social Security data.
It can be difficult to win benefits with an impairment like heart failure because different people with this medical issue experience different symptoms. Many people with heart failure can work despite their health issues.
Even if you think you did everything right on your application and included all the evidence you needed, you could still be denied disability benefits.
Be prepared for that, and be ready to take these steps as soon as you get a rejection letter from the SSA:
Step #1: Make note of Social Security deadlines.
To appeal and keep your claim going, you need to respond quickly. Social Security gives you just 60 days to reply after you’ve been denied, and the same deadline applies to any further appeals, too.
Neglect to respond in time, and you may have to start over from the beginning with a new application for benefits.
Step #2: Review your denial letter.
There are many reasons a claim could be denied. Whether you need more medical evidence or didn’t give enough information about your work history, knowing exactly why you were denied SSDI or SSI benefits is necessary to appeal.
Step #3: Update your evidence.
Even if you weren’t denied due to a lack of medical evidence, now’s a great time to update your claim with any new or updated information about your condition. Recent test results, an update to your prescribed medications or information about a new treatment you’re trying can strengthen your heart failure disability claim on appeal.
Step #4: Consult a Utah disability attorney.
Navigating the Social Security Disability system isn’t easy. You’ve probably already found that the application process is more complex and time-consuming than you expected.
Appeals get even more complicated. They require you to make legal arguments and identify errors in the SSA’s process.
Our Utah Social Security Disability attorneys will guide you through each step of your appeal and give you the best chance of winning benefits.
It may take significant work and time to win disability benefits for heart failure, but the disability lawyers of Barnes Disability Advocates are there for you at every step of the way.
We’ve helped thousands of people in Salt Lake City, Lehi, St. George and across the state of Utah win disability benefits.
We don’t charge an expensive upfront fee or a monthly retainer when you ask for our help. You only pay an attorney’s fee when your disability claim is approved.
Don’t try to go through this difficult process on your own. Schedule a free, no-obligation consultation to learn more about how our Utah disability law firm will fight for benefits that can help you regain your stability and independence.
Do You Want to Know More About Our Disability Lawyers in Utah?
Barnes Disability also helps with long-term disability claims when you have a private insurance policy to protect your finances if you lose the ability to work. Our disability attorneys have decades of experience and a mission to help everyday people find peace and dignity in difficult times.
