Back injuries and disability

Back injury claims are the most common physical ailment that the SSA addresses because most people experience back pain at some point in their lives. In order to receive disability benefits for a back injury, you must meet the list of impairments definition for disorders of the spine; such as degenerative disc disease, spinal stenosis, spinal arachnoiditis, or facet arthritis.

Just because your diagnosis is listed does not mean you are guaranteed benefits. Simply having pain in your back that makes it hard to stand for a long time is not enough. Your condition must meet all of the criteria, and the SSA must determine that you do indeed have an injury, and that your condition prevents you from doing any type of work for which you qualify.

If you can prove that your condition prevents you from lifting, prolonged sitting, standing, walking, or being able to complete your job, and if your condition will last for 12 months or longer, you have a better chance of winning your case. You must also be able to prove that you cannot sustain full time employment because of your pain, medication, the amount of days you miss at work, or your inability to perform your line or work.

Be aware that it’s much harder to be awarded benefits for back injuries because of the high number of back injury claim requests that the SSA receives.