SSDI Benefits Could Help Those With High Blood Pressure

Can You Get SSDI for High Blood Pressure?

If you have severe complications from high blood pressure, you may qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). The SSA does not consider high blood pressure a disability. That doesn’t mean your high blood pressure won’t qualify you for disability benefits. You can qualify. The SSA will evaluate your disability claim based on how your high blood pressure affects your daily living and ability to work. If you are unable to work for at least 12 continuous months because of the effects of your high blood pressure, the SSA may find that you have a disability and you may qualify for Social Security disability benefits.

How To Apply For SSDI With High Blood Pressure

If you are unable to continue working due to your high blood pressure, also called hypertension, you could be eligible for Social Security disability benefits. Qualification for SSDI hypertension can be tough. You will need to show that your high blood pressure affects one or more of your body systems to the degree that you cannot reasonably be expected to continue working.

The SSA will evaluate your disability claim based on the criteria for your affected body systems. The most commonly affected body systems and their listings are:

• Heart (Section 4, Cardiovascular System).
• Brain (Section 11, Neurological, usually 11.4, Central Nervous System Vascular Accident).
• Kidneys (Section 6, Genitourinary Impairments).
• Eyes (Section 2, Special Senses and Speech).

About 650 million prescriptions for blood pressure medicine are filled each year. This accounts for about $29 billion¹ in total spending, of which $3.4 billion is paid directly by patients.²

Sources: 1. Health and Economic Benefits of High Blood Pressure Interventions | Power of Prevention (cdc.gov) 2. Ritchey M, Tsipas S, Loustalot F, Wozniak G. Use of pharmacy sales data to assess changes in prescription- and payment-related factors that promote adherence to medications commonly used to treat hypertension, 2009 and 2014. PLoS One. 2016;11(7):e0159366.

The criteria to determine whether you are eligible for Social Security disability benefits is based on the criteria for those sections. The medical documentation you’ll produce to prove your case depends on which bodily functions are affected. You will be required to present the results of all pertinent tests and exam findings.

In your Social Security disability benefits claim, be sure to list all medical conditions you have, whether they are related to your high blood pressure or not. The SSA will consider all of your medically documented conditions. Even if you don’t have any single condition that meets the requirements for SSDI benefits, you may still qualify if the total of all your disabling conditions is shown to equal one of the listings. Also, if you can prove that your conditions make you unable to do any kind of work that you could be trained for, you will qualify for benefits.