Social Security Disability and Asthma
About 22 million people in the United States are sufferers of asthma with roughly 6 million of those being children. Asthma is a type of chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD). It is a chronic inflammatory disease of the breathing or bronchial tubes . Muscles in the bronchial tubes constrict due to irritation, which can be an innate problem or can be caused by inhaling certain substances. In addition to constriction, inflammation causes swelling and excess mucus that further narrows the bronchial tubes. The combination of constricting muscles and inflammation obstructs the flow of air in the lungs. Asthmatic attacks can cause shortness of breath, chest tightness, wheezing, and coughing.
Asthma is listed on the Social Security’s listing of impairments in section 3.03 under "Respiratory System". For most people, asthma is controllable by medication, however, for some people, asthma can be a chronic disability.
Social Security’s list of impairments has 2 listings for Asthma:
3.03A. Chronic asthmatic bronchitis. Evaluate under the criteria for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in 3.02A;
3.03B. Attacks, as defined in 3.00C, in spite of prescribed treatment and requiring physician intervention, occurring at least once every 2 months or at least six times a year. Each in-patient hospitalization for longer than 24 hours for control of asthma counts as two attacks, and an evaluation period of at least 12 consecutive months must be used to determine the frequency of attacks.
Every asthma attack you have does not necessarily count towards this listing. If you have an asthma attack but you are able to control it with your inhaler or home nebulizer it won't count towards this listing. The listing only counts those attacks that require doctor or ER treatment to control the respiratory distress. Even though this is probably the most common listing met for asthma it is still rare that someone meets this listing. As you can see if you think you may meet this listing it is extremely important to make sure Social Security has all the medical evidence.
If you do not meet the social security listings, and many people with respiratory problems do not, you may still qualify for Social Security Disability or SSI due to your age, your education, the type of work you have done, and how much stress or activity you can tolerate because of your respiratory condition.
Call your Michigan Social Security Disability attorneys today at 1-866-540-0677 to help you file for Social Security Disability benefits if you suffer from a physical or mental illness. If you are in Macomb County, Oakland County, Wayne County or anywhere else in Michigan and need help with your Social Security Disability case, contact our office at info@allanwbenpc.com
