Written by:
Linda Cosme-Vice President of DIsability Policy & Strategy, Citizen’s Disability
Can You Get Disability for Graves’ Disease?
Graves’ disease, a treatable but incurable autoimmune disorder, can seriously impair your ability to enjoy hobbies, socialize, and pursue your career. An inability to work full-time is particularly challenging for many people with Graves’ disease because it creates a significant financial strain.
One potential source of support if you can’t work due to a medical condition is Social Security Disability Insurance, or SSDI. These monthly benefits help cover your expenses for essentials such as housing and food.
Unfortunately, qualifying for disability with Graves’ disease can be challenging because the disorder is not on the Social Security Administration’s list of qualifying conditions. However, with the right approach and support from Disability Advice, you can get disability for Graves’ disease.
What Is Graves’ Disease?
Graves’ disease is an autoimmune condition affecting the thyroid gland, which produces hormones related to your metabolism and development. A person with Graves’ disease produces too much thyroid hormone, resulting in a condition known as hyperthyroidism.
Excessive thyroid hormones are dangerous for other systems in your body, including your heart, bones, muscles, and internal organs. Some common symptoms people with Graves’ disease may experience include the following:
- Fatigue and insomnia
- Difficulty concentrating
- Rapid and irregular heartbeat
- Muscle weakness
- Anxiety
- Bulging eyes, known as Graves’ ophthalmopathy, and vision problems, including double vision
- Goiter, which is a swollen thyroid gland that can interfere with breathing and swallowing
- Gastrointestinal problems, including diarrhea and frequent bowel movements
With these symptoms, dealing with Graves’ disease and working full-time is impossible for some. Severe or untreated cases can have more harmful effects, including blindness and heart failure, which make it even harder to maintain employment.
The treatment for Graves’ disease can also affect your ability to work. For example, a common treatment for Graves’ disease is thyroid removal, but this can trigger lasting side effects like fatigue, depression, and memory problems.
Is Graves’ Disease Considered a Disability?
Unlike some illnesses, the SSA doesn’t list Graves’ disease as one of its qualifying conditions. However, if your symptoms significantly impact your quality of life and ability to work, you may still qualify for disability benefits.
How Social Security Evaluates Your Application
The SSA reviews your medical records and work history to determine if you have a qualifying condition for disability benefits. To receive SSDI, you must have a documented physical or mental impairment that prevents you from performing substantial gainful activity, or SGA. Your monthly earnings and hours spent at work determine whether you are engaging in SGA.
Keep in mind that working doesn’t automatically disqualify you from receiving SSDI. Every disability case is different, and some people receive benefits even though they are employed part-time. If you can still work with Graves’ disease but earn less than the SGA limit, your employment shouldn’t prevent you from receiving SSDI.
When reviewing your application, the SSA will also consider the length of your disability. Your medical examination should show that your doctors expect the disability to last for a minimum of 12 months.
Finally, the SSA will consider whether your condition qualifies as a disability. The symptoms you experience as a result of your illness will dictate the focus of your disability claim. An attorney or organization specializing in SSDI can review your background, work history, and medical records and offer guidance on submitting the strongest claim.
Eligibility Criteria for Disability Benefits with Graves’ Disease
The SSA uses its Blue Book listing of qualifying impairments to determine SSDI eligibility. Although Graves’ disease isn’t on this list, you may still qualify for benefits if your Graves’ disease is medically equivalent to another listed condition. The SSA may evaluate your Graves’ disease using the criteria for the following potentially equivalent conditions:
- Endocrine disorders: Section 9.00 of the Blue Book describes endocrine disorders, including what thyroid conditions qualify for disability. The SSA examines the effects of the disorder, including thyroid-related weight loss, changes to your heart rate, and cognitive limitations.
- Cardiovascular system: Over time, Graves’ disease can lead to serious heart conditions, such as tachycardia, congestive heart failure, and atrial fibrillation. These conditions may qualify for disability benefits under section 4.00.
- Mood disorders: Graves’ disease sometimes results in one or more of the mood disorders in section 12.00. These include depressive and anxiety disorders, which are common for people suffering from this condition.
- Vision impairments: If Graves’ disease causes you to develop a vision impairment, you may qualify for SSDI under section 2.00. You may experience damage to your optic nerve, making it more difficult to read and see details.
Make sure your medical records reflect these and any other qualifying conditions you’ve developed due to Graves’ disease.
If the SSA does not find that your Graves’ Disease symptoms are severe enough to qualify for benefits under an equivalent listing, it will assess your Residual Functional Capacity, or RFC. An RFC assessment determines the level of work-related activity an applicant can do despite their limitations.
How To Strengthen Your Graves’ Disease Disability Claim
Although you ultimately can’t control the SSA’s decision, submitting a strong SSDI application makes approval of your claim more likely. In addition to ensuring your application is complete and accurate, you can also provide specific details to support your claim.
Why a Strong Application Matters
The SSA denies the majority of disability applications because of simple application mistakes, missed deadlines, incomplete documents, and insufficient evidence. Therefore, the severity of your condition alone isn’t enough to secure SSDI benefits. The quality and accuracy of your application are critical to your chances of approval.
Applying for and receiving SSDI is also a lengthy process, and it takes much longer if you have to file an appeal. Providing the agency with solid proof of your condition and its effects in your initial application can help you receive the benefits you need more quickly.
What To Include With Your Application
There are several tests and documents that a person with Graves’ disease, or hyperthyroidism, can provide to strengthen their SSDI claim:
- Radioactive iodine uptake scan, or RAIU: An RAIU scan measures the amount of radioactive iodine in the thyroid gland. During this test, you swallow radioactive iodine, and the doctor checks the level of radioactivity in your thyroid—high levels suggest a thyroid condition.
- Elevated T4 and T3 levels: Elevated levels of free thyroxine, or T4, and free triiodothyronine, or T3, are another sign of hyperthyroidism. Doctors can evaluate these levels through a blood test.
- High TSI antibody levels: Your doctor may also perform a thyroid-stimulating immunoglobulin test, or TSI, to detect antibodies telling your thyroid gland to become more active. High TSI levels are also an indicator of Graves’ disease.
- Medical records of treatment and responses to treatment: The SSA will want to see the kinds of treatment you’ve received and how your body has responded to them. This helps the agency determine the severity of your condition and whether the treatment itself is an obstacle to your work.
Providing as many of these documents as possible creates a more complete picture of your struggle with Graves’ disease.
Working With Disability Advice
The type and extent of your symptoms are what determine whether you can get disability with Graves’ disease. SSDI applications are complex, particularly when the SSA doesn’t recognize your condition as a disability. Presenting the SSA with compelling evidence—including medical documents, diagnostic tests, and work records—is essential to filing a successful claim.
When you have questions about what benefits you can claim for Graves’ disease and how to apply for SSDI, you need support from experts in disability insurance. Whether you’re submitting your initial application or filing an appeal, Disability Advice can help with every step of the claims process. Reach out for help getting SSDI benefits for the effects of Graves’ disease.
- Free case evaluation
- Assist with denied claims
- Ensure you have all documents
- Make the process easy for you
Written by:
Linda Cosme-Vice President of DIsability Policy & Strategy, Citizen’s Disability
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“Professionalism at its best. From intake to getting my claim started, they are the ones you need. 100% recommend to everyone.”
Pablo P.
“Having never gone through this process before, it was very easy and straightforward. VERY professional and polite.”
Alan A.
“I had a great experience with my representative. She was very friendly and she made the process very easy. I’m glad I had the pleasure to work with her in filing my claim. She provided great customer service.”
Dana C.
“I was very nervous about reaching out for help with disability benefits. This experience was so much easier than what I thought it would be. They were understanding and supportive, and answered all of my questions. I would highly recommend them.”
Alice P.
“One of the best customer service experiences I have ever had. Patient and kind and couldn’t of made my experience better. Thank you for all the help.”
Jama M.
“The person I spoke with was very knowledgeable and very thorough with answering all of my questions and making sure all my information was correct. He was very patient, kind, and was very helpful. I wasn’t sure if I would qualify, and he checked and took all of my information. The process was made very easy, thank you so much for your help.”
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