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.
We'll Be Your Advocate
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 Harris & Riviere Today!
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 (813) 669-2080 or by filling out our case evaluation form.
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