Qualifying for Disability Benefits with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome
Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a lung injury that happens when fluids build up in small air sacs (alveoli) in your lungs. ARDS prevents your lungs from filling up with air and causes dangerously low oxygen levels in your blood (hypoxia). In turn, other organs such as your brain, heart, kidneys and stomach fail to get the oxygen they need to function. Healthcare providers typically diagnose a person as having mild, moderate or severe respiratory distress syndrome. They determine that level by comparing the level of oxygen in your blood with the amount of oxygen that needs to be given to achieve a healthy blood oxygen level.
ARDS typically happens when a person is in the hospital receiving treatment for an infection, illness or trauma. To learn more about how the Social Security Administration (SSA) defines this disability, visit Section 3.02 of the Blue Book.
Does Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Qualify for Disability?
The most common way ARDS sufferers qualify for benefits is by meeting the listing for Chronic Pulmonary Insufficiency. This listing appears in Section 3.02 of the Blue Book and requires one of the following:
- An FEV1 of between 1.65 and 1.05, dependent upon your height without shoes
- An FVC of between 1.85 and 1.25, dependent upon your height without shoes
- Chronically impaired blood gas exchange, documented by arterial blood gas values that fall within specific ranges
Visit the SSA’s Blue Book Section 3.02 listing for specific information on blood gas and other breathing test results that meet eligibility criteria.
Your chronic breathing issues may not meet the requirements outlined in the Chronic Pulmonary Insufficiency listing. If they do not, the SSA may review your claim under a number of other Blue Book listings, depending on the complications your ARDS caused:
- Section 11.04 – If you have suffered a stroke
- Section 4.00 – For heart complications
- Section 3.04 – If you suffer chronic bacterial or viral lung infections
Even if you are unable to meet or match a listing in the Blue Book, you may still be able to get disability benefits under what is known as a “medical vocational allowance.” For this to happen, the SSA must complete a residual functional capacity (RFC) analysis, which reviews all of your physical and mental limitations. If your RFC shows you are so limited by your condition that you are unable to work in any job, then you will be approved for SSD.
How Do I Apply for Disability Benefits?
To apply for disability benefits, it’s important to understand the disability application process. If you’ve been diagnosed with acute respiratory distress syndrome and believe you may qualify, contact us today for a free disability case evaluation.
