It takes an average of three to five months to process an application for disability benefits. You can appeal the decision if your application is . This means blind workers may wait months or years for a guide animal unless theyre able to afford to pay for training their own. What is keratoconus? The SSA reviews blindness or severe vision loss under strict rules of medical eligibility. The Infantry in the Army, Pilot in the AirForce and GS executive in the Navy along with pilots need you to have perfect vision. The Social Security Disability Resource Center explains how to win your disability benefits and avoid mistakes that are time-consuming and costly. Social Security might request this type of testing if, for instance, your eyes show no abnormalities during an examination and you have no history of neurological damage, yet you scored 20/200 on your Snellen chart test. Is applicant currently receiving Social Security benefits? Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. If you have a medical condition that causes progressive vision loss. Privacy Policy. you have the ability to do any type of work activity. But if you're experiencing significant vision loss, you might be able to get benefits. The SSA is Proposing a Change to SSI Benefits: Excluding Food From Their Calculations of Disability Benefits, Changes in Social Security Republicans Claim They Want to Enact, Qualifying For Disability Benefits as a Paralyzed Veteran, April is Esophageal Cancer Awareness Month. Here you can share your keratoconus stories, post photos and videos, ask questions, talk about available treatments and latest breakthroughs, post memes, and show everyone how you see the world by sharing KC vision simulations. If you have questions or you'd like help with your application, click for a free case evaluation with a legal professional to determine if your vision problems qualify for benefits. Claims are often initially denied disability, so working with a lawyer my help increase your chances. In fact, the blind can qualify for disability and still continue to work while receiving monthly benefits, provided they meet all SSA requirements. Corneal collagen cross-linking is a procedure designed to stop the progression of keratoconus or slow it down. Tiny fibers of protein in your eye called collagen help hold . To apply by phone and paper: phone Social Security Scotland free on 0800 182 2222 (8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday) to start an application. About half of people who go to an appeal hearing win their claims, and applicants who go to a hearing represented by a lawyer have a higher approval rate than applicants who represent themselves. If you are blind and receiving disability benefits, you may want to try to return to work at some point. Symptoms. A need for frequent changes in eyeglass prescriptions. The agency calls these rules "listings. Having keratoconus shouldn't stop you from working. It is important to know your rights as an employee that may require special accommodations. A common finding in keratoconus is the loss of collagen in the cornea. here is the code rating for'' Keratocounus''. In time, these changes transform the cornea into a cone-like shape, lending this disease a portion of its name. The content on this site is for informational purposes only. The listing requires you to have a low "percentage of visual efficiency," a calculation that combines your central visual acuity and peripheral vision. You may be eligible to receive $3,627 each month. You can post now and register later. There is no way to predict how quickly the disease will progress, or if it will progress at all. Your previous content has been restored. If a claimant is older than 55, even if their earnings are in excess of $2,460 per month the benefits are only suspended and not terminated if the work that you do requires a lower level of ability and skill than the work you did before you were approved for disability benefits. The amount for blind disabled workers for SSDI is much higher than non-blind workers. Accommodating a person who is sensitive to . In providing the name of a subscriber attorney or advocate, the website does not evaluate a users matter, and it does not endorse or vouch for a lawyer or advocates credentials, abilities, competence, character, or other professional qualities. This thinning causes your cornea to lose its typical dome shape and can lead to vision distortion. Powered by Invision Community. Social Security will evaluate your claim based on your medical evidencethis should include test results, imaging, and your doctors' records and treatment notes. During an RFC, the SSA also looks at your age, job skills, and education level. Keratoconus ( KC) is a disorder of the eye that results in progressive thinning of the cornea. and our So, as an example, you can work 80 hours per month while you are blind, but if your net profit doesnt exceed $2,460 per month, you will continue receiving disability benefits. This examination of the cornea can help detect abnormalities in the outer and middle layers of the cornea. Please note, we cannot prescribe controlled substances, diet pills, antipsychotics, or other abusable medications. If your income declined as your vision deteriorated, you can exclude the most recent quarters of earnings from your Social Security record. While your vision may not meet a disability listing now, the SSA can see from your diagnosis that your vision will continue to worsen, eventually reaching the severity level noted in the Blue Book. Contraction of the visual field in the better eye (2.03) you can qualify under this listing if you have a shrinking field of vision. Keratoconus is a progressive disease which means that not all share the same issues at the same times or may be qualified for disability. The result is a gradual change in the shape of the cornea. The information provided on this site is not legal advice, does not constitute a lawyer referral service, and no attorney-client or confidential relationship is or will be formed by use of the site. 600. Keratoconus occurs in approximately one in 2,000 individuals, typically beginning in puberty and progressing into the mid-30s. In order to qualify for Social Security disability benefits while being blind in one eye, you need to meet the medical criteria outlined by the SSA and you need to have worked enough from a job where you paid Social Security taxes and earned enough work credits. You can be blind and one eye and could qualify for Social Security disability benefits Even if you dont meet the SSAs criteria for blindness, such as being blind in one eye, you may still qualify for Social Security disability benefits if you being blind in one eye makes it impossible for you to work full time. ~Abraham Lincoln This is the exam you get when you get a new prescription for glasses or contacts. The issue could become more disabling in the future. This is Attorney Advertising on Behalf of Our Attorney Subscribers The examiner might call you for an interview or send you additional paperwork to complete. With severe keratoconus, a standard contact lens may become too uncomfortable to wear. Keratoconus causes the corneal tissue to de Keratoconus is a condition in which the cornea, or front of the eye, is very steep. Archived post. Contacting a disability representative is the best way to ensure that your application is completed correctly, giving you a better chance at receiving an approval and avoiding the. Thankfully, in most cases, treatments such asscleral contact lensesand/orcorneal cross-linkingcan prevent even advanced keratoconus from causing this level of severe vision loss. They may also allow a better contact lens fit. Neither this site, nor any lawyer or advocate associated with it, is affiliated in any way with, or endorsed by, the Social Security Administration. To file for a tax extension with the IRS, you can follow these steps: Obtain IRS Form 4868: You can get a copy . How can I get help? apply for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), signs that you will be approved for disability, signs that you will be denied for disability, Social Security disability approval rates by state, What Conditions Automatically Qualify You For Disability, What Medical Conditions Qualify for Social Security Disability. Should I refile? This test measures brainwave responses to visual stimuli that the doctor shows you. Current treatment for keratoconus includes glasses in the earliest stages to treat nearsightedness and astigmatism. Is applicant receiving treatment from a doctor? Acute injuries that are treated and resolved are usually not compensable unless they return or are considered in remission such as cancer. But, it gets so severe that it is declared as a disability. Scleral lenses fetch a much higher fee than other contact lenses because these lenses are custom-made to fit the exact eye specifications of the wearer. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); gform.initializeOnLoaded( function() {gformInitSpinner( 1, 'https://nkcf.org/wp-content/plugins/gravityforms/images/spinner.svg', true );jQuery('#gform_ajax_frame_1').on('load',function(){var contents = jQuery(this).contents().find('*').html();var is_postback = contents.indexOf('GF_AJAX_POSTBACK') >= 0;if(!is_postback){return;}var form_content = jQuery(this).contents().find('#gform_wrapper_1');var is_confirmation = jQuery(this).contents().find('#gform_confirmation_wrapper_1').length > 0;var is_redirect = contents.indexOf('gformRedirect(){') >= 0;var is_form = form_content.length > 0 && ! Increased photophobia (light sensitivity) Nearsightedness may develop slowly. I would definitely accept such a case. Learn more about your rights as an employee, Crosslinking Improves Quality of Life for Individuals with Progressive KC. Schedule a free case review by completing the Free Case Evaluation Form on this page. To qualify for disability benefits, your vision loss or blindness must meet one of the following listings: If you are blind and receive disability and you are older than 55, the determination rules that are used by the SSA arent the same ones that are used for those who arent blind. Since this disease is slow in progression, could it be conceivably caused by a head injury when I had an accident involving a fork truck that went off of a 6-feet high loading dock backwards? ", Social Security considers symptoms that affect vision under listings 2.02, 2.03, and 2.04 for vision loss or blindness. An easy way to apply for Social Security disability benefits is to file your claim online at www.ssa.gov/applyfordisability/. Intacs are implantable, plastic, C-shaped rings that are used to flatten the surface of the cornea, allowing improved vision. The cornea is the clear, outer layer at the front of your eye. EIN 92-2360268, VA Disability Claims Community Forums - Hadit.com. If your keratoconus causes more than a minimal effect on your vision, it's enough to pass this screening test. We want to keep the focus on VA Claims, and this helps us do that. Book a consultation with our experts today to arrange an assessment and testing. If that happens, within 5 years of returning to the workforce you are eligible for what is called expedited reinstatement. Your vision may be okay looking straight ahead, but you might have a loss of your "visual field" (the total space you can see including your peripheral vision). To discover what you're able to do, a claims examiner will determine your residual functional capacity (RFC). If you earn more than the maximum SGA, you will not receive your disability benefits that month. You must contact Social Security if you want to file for a freeze. For potential or actual medical emergencies, immediately call 911 or your local emergency service. However, there is an income requirement that anyone applying for SSI benefits must meet before the application for benefits will be . To learn more about the author: Tim Moore. Just tried on my sclerals for the first time. Your link has been automatically embedded. Instead, he must learn new skills and eventually find a new job. By using our website, you consent to our use of cookies. Pursuant to Social Security Listing 2.02 entitled "Loss of Visual Acuity" a person is considered to be disabled if the remaining vision in the better eye after best correction is 20/200 or less. The middle layer is the thickest part of the cornea, mostly made up of water and a protein called collagen. Code 6036: A corneal transplant is rated on the Visual Impairment Rating System. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. DDS, or Disability Determination Services, is the state-level agency that makes decisions on SSD and SSI claims for the Social Security Administration. During this time, your disability benefits are not in jeopardy. Read More. Disability benefits can additionally be an ongoing source of financial support for blind workers, allowing them to continue employment while simultaneously receiving monthly disability payments. Keratoconus usually is detected in the teenage years or 20's, but it can also start in childhood. Upload or insert images from URL. It most commonly develops in . If you have severe keratoconus, your doctor might limit you from performing jobs that require good eyesight. Those 9 months which dont have to be consecutive allow a disabled individual to determine if he or she is capable of earning a living again. VA Disability. Irvine, CA 92697. Keratoconus is a progressive eye condition where the cornea pushes outward into a cone shape. In the United States, if a person's best-corrected visual acuity in both eyes is 20/200 or worse whether caused by keratoconus or some other condition that person is consideredlegally blindand may qualify for disability benefits. See our list of other common medical conditions that qualify for the DTC. In order to qualify for disability with an eye problem, you will need to meet the criteria set by the SSA with that condition. I have seen very irregular astigmatism confused with keratocon Because of the degree and extent of the "cone" and the irregular. To meet the requirements for Social Security's listing for loss of visual acuity (listing 2.02), the vision in your better eye, when you're wearing glasses or contacts, must be 20/200 or worse. 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