If the SSA says your condition being “mild” or “manageable” is the reason for your Social Security Disability claim denial, you are not alone. Many Texans get denied for this reason.
Federal law states the SSA must take into account all your physical and mental conditions. However, reviewers frequently overlook this step. They may miss how two or more conditions compound and make work impossible.
The reality of combined impairments
You might have early-stage diabetes that requires monitoring, and chronic fatigue that makes work difficult. You could have multiple conditions that simultaneously make an eight-hour workday impossible. Individually, none of these conditions may meet the SSA’s strict disability listings.
The SSA must consider the combined effects of all your impairments, but initial reviewers frequently overlook this step. They frequently fail to evaluate how your symptoms compound to affect you as a whole.
Legal strategies for you
A winning approach unifies your medical records into a coherent narrative. Instead of presenting scattered doctor’s records, your legal representative can demonstrate the following:
- If your physical conditions limit your ability to sit, stand, walk and lift
- How pain and physical limitations contribute to mental health decline
- If fatigue from multiple sources eliminates your capacity for sustained concentration
- When medication side effects add another layer of impairment
Your legal team should connect the dots between different documented conditions. Additionally, your medical providers can provide detailed objective documentation of your specific physical and mental functional limitations. The SSA will evaluate you based on consistency across your medical records.
Appealing a denial
If you have received a denial letter citing that your conditions are not severe enough, do not give up. You can file a Request for Reconsideration to have your claim reevaluated. If denied, you may then appeal to an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) hearing. How you document and present your limitations often matters as much as the medical condition you have.