Tampa Diabetes Lawyers
Get Social Security Disability Benefits Today!
The number of Americans with diabetes is approaching 24 million. As you
would expect, we have been seeing an increasing number of client's
applying for Social Security with either Type I or Type II diabetes.
The key to winning a case involving diabetes is to either:
- Document the extremes in blood sugar levels AND the symptoms that result, or;
- Document the complications from diabetes.
If a client is having difficulty working because of symptoms of diabetes,
they will either have poorly controlled sugar levels or in the more advanced
stages, complications from diabetes. Doctors and in particular, endocrinologists,
are good about getting lab work, checking your A1c levels and recording
glucometer readings, but how those test results translate into work restrictions
is what the Social Security Administration is after. The symptoms you
have may not always apparent from your medical records.
If you think about what you tell your doctor, spikes in your blood sugar
may be so common that you don't even bother to discuss your symptoms
anymore. When we obtain medical records on diabetic client's we are
hoping to find buzz words like dizzy, headache, blurred vision, sweating,
or palpitations in the records. We want the records to describe how our
client was feeling during blood sugar highs or lows, but rarely do we
find those kinds of symptoms described in medical notes. More often than
not, when you visit your doctor the exam consists of having your blood
drawn, recording your meter readings, adjusting your medication and that's
it. You are told to return in 6 months.
Documenting Your Diabetes Symptoms
At the law firm of Harris &Riviere, part of our job is to educate our
clients about how to document their symptoms
before
they file a claim. That way if a client ever needs to file a claim for
disability, the claim has a better chance of being approved the first time
When you go to see your doctor, you need to tell the doctor about all of
the problems your diabetes presents, both a home and at work. Once you
and your doctor get in the habit of recording your symptoms on every visit,
you start creating a paper trail of information from which the Social
Security Administration can make a determination about your disability.
When you talk to your doctor always be as specific as possible about the
kind of symptoms you get, how often the symptoms occur and how long the
symptoms last. For example, if Social Security receives records indicating
you get dizzy because of low blood sugar, but you only get low blood sugar
once every 3 weeks and your symptoms only last for 5 minutes, a claim
based on those symptoms alone will result in a denial of benefits. On
the other hand, if your sugars are so poorly controlled that you have
trouble waking up 3 mornings a week and it takes you 2 hours to get your
sugars back up, those are circumstances that might warrant a finding of
disability.
The second medical basis for disability involves complications from diabetes.
Conditions which might qualify you for disability include diabetic retinopathy,
nephropathy, neuropathy, hypertension, heart disease or stroke. Of these,
peripheral neuropathy, or painful burning and tingling in the hands and
feet, is by far the most common complaint. Persons with neuropathy in
their hands often have difficulty with fine manipulation, such as buttoning
a shirt, or with gross manipulation, such as holding a coffee cup. Either
problem can cause difficulty holding down a job, as the ability to use
both your hands is an essential element of most jobs.
Neuropathy in the feet can lead to painful, even life threatening, skin
ulcers. Difficulty feeling your feet can limit your ability to stand or
walk. This too, can have a very profound affect on your ability to qualify
for and hold certain jobs.
Contact Us Today For Representation
If you would like help documenting your claim for disability benefits based
upon your diabetic condition, speak to one of the experienced attorney's
in the Tampa office of Harris &Riviere. We can be reached at
, by
email or by filling out our
case evaluation form.