What Disabilities Are Recognized for Benefits in Florida?

If you live in Florida and cannot work because of a medical condition, you may be eligible for disability benefits through the Social Security Administration. The Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income programs both pay benefits to residents of the Sunshine State with long-term disabilities, preventing them from working.

The requirements to qualify for disability benefits through SSI and SSDI make it difficult for people to be approved. Of all the applications submitted annually to the Social Security Administration for disability benefits, more than two-thirds of them are denied.

Improve your chances of having a claim for disability benefits approved by learning what types of disabilities does Florida Disability Determination Services recognize. This guide explains the types of disabilities that may qualify for SSI and SSDI benefits. If you have questions or need representation, Disability Experts of Florida has a team of experienced disability advocates ready to assist you.

Types Of Disabilities In Florida Qualifying For Disability Benefits

The Social Security Administration maintains a listing of impairments, unofficially called the Blue Book, containing 14 categories of listings with medical criteria its Disability Determination Services in each state uses to evaluate applications for SSI and SSDI to decide if someone is disabled. The adult listings and examples of conditions under each of them include the following:

• Musculoskeletal disorders: Amputation, soft tissue injury, abnormality of a major joint, non-healing complex fracture of an upper extremity, abnormality of a major joint in any extremity, and disorder of the skeletal spine compromising a nerve root.
• Special senses and speech: Loss of central visual acuity, loss of visual efficiency, loss of speech, and hearing loss.
• Respiratory disorders: Chronic respiratory disorders, cystic fibrosis, asthma, lung transplant, and respiratory failure.
• Cardiovascular system: Heart failure, recurrent arrhythmias, heart transplant, symptomatic congenital heart disease, and chronic venous insufficiency.
• Digestive disorders: Hemorrhaging, chronic liver disease, inflammatory bowel disease, liver or pancreas transplants, and weight loss caused by digestive disorder.
• Genitourinary disorders: Liver disease, kidney transplant, and complications of chronic kidney disease.
• Hematological disorders: Sickle cell disease, thrombosis, bone marrow failure, and bone or stem cell transplants.
• Skin disorders: Genetic photosensitivity, burns, and chronic skin or mucus membrane conditions.
• Endocrine disorders: Medical conditions causing hormone imbalance. Specific conditions include disorders of the pituitary gland, thyroid gland, parathyroid gland, adrenal gland, and others.
• Congenital disorders of multiple body systems: Non-mosaic Down syndrome that may be accompanied by impaired vision and hearing, congenital heart disease, and other disorders.
• Neurological disorders: Epilepsy, Parkinson’s, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury, and many other forms of neurological disorders.
• Mental disorders: Depression, anxiety, intellectual disorder, schizophrenia, impulse control and personality disorders, autism spectrum disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder.
• Cancer: Lymphoma, leukemia, soft tissue sarcoma, skin cancer, breast cancer, and several other forms of cancer.
• Disorders of the immune system: Disorders causing dysfunction of one or multiple components of the immune system, including systematic lupus and sclerosis, HIV, inflammatory arthritis, and other disorders.

The listing of impairments for children contains the adult categories with the addition of a category titled “Low birth weight and failure to thrive.”

You must be unable to do substantial gainful activity because of a medically determinable physical or mental impairment that has lasted or is expected to last for at least one year or result in death for Social Security to conclude that you are disabled and qualify for disability benefits.

A physical or mental impairment matching or equivalent to criteria in the Blue Book for a listed impairment is considered severe enough to meet the disability definition used by the Social Security Administration. Medical conditions in the Blue Book are not the only types of disabilities recognized in Florida.

What Happens If Your Medical Condition Does Not Match A Listed Impairment?

Not having a medical condition matching a listing may not mean that you don’t have one of the types of disabilities recognized in Florida as qualifying for disability benefits. If your medical condition prevents you from doing a type of work that you did in the past, you may qualify for benefits.

Suppose the Disability Determination Services reviews your medical records and determines that you cannot do work you did in the past. In that case, it continues its review to determine if you can do other types of jobs in the national economy. The DDS uses your Residual Functional Capacity, an evaluation of limitations caused by your medical condition, and your age, education, training, skills, and other factors to determine your ability to do another type of work. The fact that you cannot do past work or move into another line of work means that you are disabled according to the definition used by Social Security.

A Disability Advocate At Disability Experts Of Florida Can Help

The team of disability advocates at Disability Experts of Florida should be your trusted source to turn to with questions or concerns about disability benefits in Florida. Contact them today for a free consultation.