Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits exist to help people who cannot work to survive financially. Yet, it is not always clear which conditions they cover. One that can cause confusion is a heart condition.
Firstly, there are several different types of heart conditions, so just because your friend got benefits for their problematic heart does not mean you will. The Social Security Administration (SSA) lists certain qualifying heart conditions in its Blue Book. In contrast, others do not feature, leaving people to look at how else they could classify their condition.
Some heart conditions improve too quickly for you to get benefits
While your heart condition might be stopping you from working now, that does not mean it will be so forever. To qualify for SSD, your condition must prevent you from working for a minimum of 12 months.
If a doctor gives you medication that controls your condition, or a surgeon fits a device such as a pacemaker, you may be able to work again in under a year, hence disqualifying you from claiming. Even changing to another job or making lifestyle changes could help you recover enough to do some kind of work.
Assessing your options can be incredibly difficult, and you will probably need to seek the opinion of more than one doctor. If you believe your condition will prevent you from working for a year or more, you will need considerable evidence to support your claim.
Consider legal help to ascertain what you need and how best to present a claim for SSD. Too many people see their claims rejected because they did not understand everything involved.