What if my disability is not in the Blue Book?
Feb. 16, 2018
When you are applying for Social Security Disability benefits, you will need to comply with the Social Security Administration's (SSA) guidelines for what types of illnesses are deemed eligible for support.
There is a comprehensive listing of impairments that have been compiled by the SSA, and it is commonly referred to as the Blue Book. This is a very detailed and complex guide that explains all the criteria that you must satisfy and the symptoms that you need to be suffering in order to qualify for disability benefits.
How is the Blue Book compiled?
A person is considered to be eligible for benefits if they suffer a condition that is severe enough to prevent them from being able to work. The Blue Book was compiled to offer certain criteria for the types of illnesses and symptoms that are officially considered to be too severe to work with.
What happens if I cannot find my condition in the Blue Book?
Just because your specific illness with all of your symptoms is not displayed in the Blue Book, it does not mean that you will necessarily be ineligible for disability benefits. It may be that you are able to "equal" a listing in the Blue Book. That means that your symptoms may match the severity of a comparable listed condition in the Blue Book.
The Blue Book is an extremely complex set of guidelines and it is best to seek advice from a medical professional as well as an experienced Kentucky Social Security Disability attorney if you are struggling to claim disability benefits.
Source: Disability Benefits Help, "What If My Disabling Condition Isn't In the Blue Book?," accessed Feb. 16, 2018