People who have not ever experienced a migraine often fail to understand how debilitating migraines can be. Although people may better understand how frightening and concerning a seizure can be to experience, people don’t understand how many medical restrictions a seizure can cause despite only lasting a moment or two.
Migraines can cause debilitating pain that makes it impossible for someone to perform basic life functions, let alone a job. Seizures can leave someone unable to stand on their own or communicate. Both can occur with unpredictable frequency and can therefore affect a worker at any time.
Do either recurring migraines or seizures qualify as a disabling medical condition for the purposes of securing Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits?
Yes, both seizures and migraines can qualify
The Social Security Administration (SSA) maintains a list of all of some of the most common medical conditions that qualify people for benefits. There are also explanations of the kinds of symptoms and medical consequences that can qualify someone for benefits even if their diagnosis is not on the list. Any condition that renders someone incapable of communicating or of leaving their home is potentially a disabling medical condition.
Both seizures and migraines can make it dangerous for someone to drive or operate heavy machinery at work. and can also flare up with such frequency that someone cannot reliably commit to a schedule set by their employer. Depending on the medical records corroborating someone’s experience of having seizures or migraines, they may qualify for SSDI benefits.
Sporadic health issues may require extra documentation
Unlike a back injury, which produces a constant limitation on a worker’s abilities, both migraines and seizures may come and go with little forewarning. It can be very difficult to even secure an accurate diagnosis of a seizure condition because you never know when you will have one next.
Similarly, for someone applying for SSDI due to migraines, medical records showing how they don’t respond to treatment and employment records showing how many days of work they have missed may be necessary to convince the SSA that the condition is significant enough for the applicant to qualify.
Having as much personal and medical evidence as possible and the right support will increase your chances of success when you apply for SSDI benefits because of seizures or migraines.
