Seek Financial Help After Your Rheumatoid Arthritis Diagnosis
Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) can feel like civil war inside your body. Your immune system, which is supposed to protect you, turns inward and attacks your joints. It’s painful. It’s progressive. Nobody is quite sure what causes it.
As many as two million Americans suffer from RA, says the American Medical Association. Symptoms range from minor to completely debilitating. In severe cases, the pain and stiffness make everyday tasks unbearable. It can put working for a living completely out of reach.
When your income is at stake, you can turn to Social Security Disability benefits to provide some much-needed stability as you manage your health.
It’s a real comfort when you’re facing mounting expenses. But is rheumatoid arthritis a disability for the purposes of getting Social Security benefits?
Securing disability benefits isn’t simple, but rheumatoid arthritis can be considered a disability. Social Security requires considerable evidence showing that your rheumatoid arthritis will keep you from working for at least a year.
Recently 62 percent of all initial disability benefits applications in Texas have been denied.
When you apply for Social Security Disability benefits, you must make it clear that working is not an option. To tell your story in full, a skilled Texas disability lawyer can be a tremendous help.
At Morgan Weisbrod, our Social Security Disability attorney team has been helping people across Texas for over 50 years.
We’ve had many clients who struggle with rheumatoid arthritis. We are one of the top Texas disability law firms in terms of how much we win for our clients.
When bad health upends your life, let Morgan Weisbrod help you set things right.
You pay no attorney fee until you win benefits.
Symptoms that Can Qualify Rheumatoid Arthritis for Social Security Disability Benefits
You may be dealing with swelling and tenderness in your joints. A bout of rheumatoid arthritis can make moving painful.
You know that this autoimmune disease is different from the arthritis many people develop from wear and tear on the body over years.
It’s chronic. It can worsen over time. Some people have symptoms that stop increasing after a certain point. For others, the condition deepens to the point of being incapacitating.
The cause is unknown, although researchers think rheumatoid arthritis comes from a combination of genetics and environmental factors. It can strike at any age, although the American Medical Association reports ages 50-59 are the peak years for development.
How does rheumatoid arthritis qualify for disability benefits? You qualify partly by documenting your symptoms. You’ll need to convince Social Security that your case is severe and work-stopping.
Telltale symptoms that can last six weeks or more include:
- Pain, swelling or tenderness in your joints, usually on both sides of your body at the same time
- Stiffness, especially in the morning, which lasts for a half hour or longer
- General fatigue that can make you feel exhausted all the time
- Inflammation in other organs, such as the lungs and heart, which can lead to more serious conditions
Social Security will want to see medical evidence and doctors’ records of your symptoms and their impact on your ability to function and earn an income. The Texas Social Security Disability lawyers at Morgan Weisbrod can help with that.
If you live in Texas, it costs you nothing to talk to our disability attorney team for an initial consultation on your claim.
Get your FREE rheumatoid arthritis disability claim review.
How To Qualify for Social Security Disability for Rheumatoid Arthritis
Living with rheumatoid arthritis is one thing. Proving it has rendered you unable to work is quite another.
Social Security has a very narrow definition of “disability.” It’s not the condition or symptoms on their own that get you approved for benefits—it’s strictly your health impairment’s impact on your ability to work at a paying job.
You must prove that your rheumatoid arthritis prevents you from participating in “substantial gainful activity,” which Social Security defined for 2026 as earning more than $1,690 a month from working.
You must also show that your RA will keep you out of a job for at least a year.
If your RA is severe enough, you can do this. Social Security discusses rheumatoid arthritis in its official listing of impairments for disability benefits in the category of inflammatory arthritis conditions.
You must show you have at least one of the following:
- A persistent inflammation or deformity in one or more leg joint that requires the use of a walker, cane, crutches or wheelchair
- The inability to use at least one arm or hand and a documented need for a one-handed wheeled mobility device
- The inability to use either of your arms or hands to complete work-related tasks
OR
- That your arthritis has impacted at least two of your organs or body systems
- That you have at least two broader symptoms, such as fatigue, fever or involuntary weight loss
The specificity of the symptoms means Social Security will want to see a lot of documented evidence. That includes your medical history and details of your work history showing the kinds of demands your past jobs placed on you.
A skilled Texas disability attorney can help you collect the right records to prove your case. At Morgan Weisbrod, our team has the experience to track down what you need, and best of all, we treat you with the compassion and respect you deserve in a difficult time.
In our eyes, you’re not a statistic; you’re a fellow Texan.
For help applying for disability benefits for rheumatoid arthritis, contact us today.
by Paul B. Burkhalter Managing Partner of Morgan Weisbrod, Board Certified in Social Security Disability Law.
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