Some people applying for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits have very obvious medical challenges. Their disabilities leave them reliant on assistive technology or present visible symptoms. The average person they encounter may readily recognize that they have medical challenges that limit their ability to live independently or maintain gainful employment.
Other people may have significant medical challenges that are not as obvious. Many people have invisible disabilities that affect their lives but are not readily visually apparent. People with invisible ailments often need help throughout the SSDI benefit application process.
What is an invisible disability?
An invisible illness or injury affects an individual’s health and daily life without being visibly obvious. Chronic pain and mental health issues are examples of invisible disabilities. Hearing and vision impairments are also invisible disabilities, as are conditions that cause chronic fatigue or dizziness. Many people even refer to traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) as invisible injuries.
How invisible illnesses affect SSDI applicants
Those with invisible illnesses often have an uphill battle when seeking SSDI benefits. They need clear medical documentation to establish that they have health challenges that prevent them from maintaining gainful employment.
Frequently, they need to invest a lot of time and energy into the collection of medical evidence to prove their eligibility. Particularly when an invisible disability involves chronic pain or fatigue that prevents an individual from working, documenting the extent and severity of the condition can be difficult, as much of the evidence available is the subjective experience of the person with the condition.
Those seeking SSDI benefits for invisible disabilities may need to undergo extensive testing to establish the severity of their health challenges and how their invisible illness affects their daily life. They may require specialized testing and may need to go over years of medical records to substantiate their claim of having an invisible disability.
They may even need to secure testimony from people who witness their daily struggles, including family members and former co-workers. Those anticipating a more complex SSDI application process because of unusual or invisible medical conditions often need help.
Securing support early in the SSDI benefits application process may make it easier for applicants to gather the proof that they need and navigate the application process successfully. With the appropriate documentation and support, even those with invisible disabilities can potentially secure the SSDI benefits they need to cover basic cost-of-living expenses.