Disability and Blood Problems

There blood disorders that can result in severe and disabling conditions that would be render the person struggling with the condition eligible for permanent disability benefits if they are unable to work due to the condition, or if a child, unable to function performing daily living tasks on a level with non-disabled children of that same age.

Blood Disorder Conditions that May Result in Disability

• Hemophilia
• Myelofibrosis, myeloproliferative syndrome
• Sickle Cell Anemia
• Thrombocytopenia
• Thalassemia
• Hereditary telangiectasia
• Diamond Blackfan Anemia

An adult is eligible for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits or Supplemental Security Income benefits based on a disabling condition such as a blood disorder if the blood severely and adversely affects his ability to engage in gainful employment.  A child is eligible for benefits under those same programs if he has a blood disorder condition that severely and adversely affects his ability to function performing daily tasks on a level commensurate with non-disabled children his same age. 

Social Security Disability List A and List B

The requirements needed to establish a blood disorder related disability in a Social Security administration program are established in two general lists of medical conditions recognized as “disabling conditions.”  List A is for adult disabilities and List B is for childhood disabling conditions.  An applicant would look up the general category of his condition such as “Hematological Disorders” and then go on to find information concerning the medical requirements needed to establish a disability based on his specific hematological disorder.  For example, an impairment caused by anemia must be evaluated according to the patient’s ability to adjust to the reduced oxygen carrying capacity of the blood.  Sometime even very low red cell mass results are well tolerated in persons with healthy cardiovascular systems and they would not be suffering from a condition severe and disabling enough to be approved for benefits based on their blood disorder.  Persons disabled by chronic inherited coagulation disorders must document their condition with laboratory test results as evidence.  Prophylactic therapy such as the use of antihemophilic globulin concentrate will not by itself evidence the severity of the condition for the purposes of being approved for disability benefits.

Getting Legal Help

If you or a member of your family has a disability condition cause by a hematological disorder and you would like to apply for disability benefits with the Social Security administration it would be helpful to contact a disability lawyer and to discuss the circumstances of the disability caused by the blood disorder and to gain access to valuable guidance concerning the application process and the medical evidence and documentary evidence needed to be approved to receive disability benefits.