How Do You Know If You Qualify for Disability After a Stroke in Oklahoma?
Strokes affect different people in different ways. The severity of your stroke and the limitations it leaves you with determine if your health situation qualifies for financial relief.
- One person may recover enough to work again soon.
- Another person may still struggle with weakness, falls, confusion, fatigue or speech problems for months.
- A third person may look physically better but still have serious memory, focus or communication problems that make regular work unrealistic.
This is what you need to address in your Social Security Disability application.
Your impairment may qualify for disability benefits if your symptoms make full-time work impossible.
Social Security will look at your medical records, treatment history, therapy records, test results and the limits you face in your daily life after the stroke.
Your claim should explain things like:
- How far you can walk before you need to stop
- Whether you need a cane, walker or other support
- Whether you can stand safely without falling
- Whether you can use both hands for lifting, carrying, typing or gripping
- Whether you can speak clearly enough for work
- Whether you can understand and follow instructions
- Whether memory problems cause mistakes
- Whether fatigue forces you to rest during the day
- Whether symptoms affect your pace, attendance or safety
Your past work also matters.
The aftermath of a stroke affects a truck driver differently than a teacher, warehouse worker, cashier, nurse, office worker or construction worker.
Social Security will look at what your old job required and whether your current symptoms let you do that work now.
If Social Security thinks you cannot do your old job, it will still ask whether you can do another kind of work based on your qualifications—perhaps work that is less strenuous.
This is where the details of your limitations become important. Problems with balance, weakness, speech, vision, memory, concentration, fatigue or the use of your hands can make even lighter work difficult.
Do you need advice that personally addresses your situation?
Talk to the Oklahoma disability attorneys at Troutman & Troutman for a FREE evaluation of your disability case.
And if you work with us on your disability claim, you’ll pay no fee until you win benefits.
How Can You Make a Stronger Case for Disability Benefits for a Stroke?
A strong disability claim for a stroke should connect your medical records to your work limitations.
Social Security needs to understand why the effects of your stroke keep you from working on a regular basis.
Strong evidence may include:
- Hospital and emergency records
- CT scans, MRIs or other brain imaging
- Neurologist reports
- Rehabilitation records
- Physical therapy, occupational therapy or speech therapy notes
- Records showing weakness, balance problems or trouble using your hands
- Vision testing or speech-language evaluations
- Notes about memory, concentration, confusion or mood changes
- Medication history and side effects
- Doctor statements about your physical and mental limits
- Statements from family, friends, former coworkers, or anyone else who personally knows you about how they’ve seen your symptoms affect you
The strongest claims show what changed after the stroke and why those changes keep you from earning a living.
That may include physical limits, but it may also include problems with communication, memory, focus, fatigue, safety or reliability.
A key idea in disability claims is your “residual functional capacity (RFC),” which is an assessment from your doctor of everyday capabilities you still have despite your health setbacks. This focuses on your individual symptoms and basic skills regardless of what medical condition you have.
At Troutman & Troutman, we take a complete approach to disability claims. We help gather strong medical evidence, explain your work limitations and make sure no important detail is overlooked.
You’ve got a lot of questions.
The Troutman & Troutman disability lawyers have answers.
We provide friendly, personal service during a difficult process. We build a relationship with you, keep your claim on track and help you avoid getting lost in the system.
If a stroke has kept you from working, talk to Troutman & Troutman for help getting back to stability and peace.
Wherever You Are in the Disability Benefits Process, We Can Help
You may be trying to determine if Social Security Disability benefits are right for you. You may be facing a long, complicated benefits application. Or maybe you’ve applied and been denied. Now what? The Troutman & Troutman Oklahoma disability attorneys can help.
Disability Attorneys Answer Your Questions about Social Security
Your life has been disrupted by health problems. You’ve had to leave work. You’re worried about money. Social Security Disability benefits can provide relief, but they’re complicated. You’ve got a lot of questions. The Troutman & Troutman Tulsa disability lawyers have answers.
SSD Questions & Answers »
