Can You Get Disability for Asthma?
Asthma is a chronic respiratory condition that can significantly impair daily functioning. While many people manage their asthma effectively and experience only moderate life disruption, not all cases respond well to treatment. Some individuals have such severe asthma that they cannot work.
You may be eligible for Social Security Disability Insurance, or SSDI, for asthma if your condition prevents gainful employment. The Social Security Administration has specific criteria defining this level of asthma. Understanding these benchmarks is crucial for a successful claim, and Disability Advice is here to help.
SSA Blue Book Listing for Asthma
The SSA determines whether a condition qualifies for benefits using the criteria provided by its so-called Blue Book. Listing 3.03 under Adult Respiratory Disorders covers asthma. To qualify for benefits with asthma, you must meet the listed criteria for hospitalization and pulmonary function, meaning how well your lungs circulate air.
Asthma Disability Requirements
To qualify for asthma disability, you must have had three hospitalizations in the past year. Each must have lasted at least 48 hours, including time in an emergency department immediately before the hospitalization. Each hospitalization must be at least 30 days apart.
You must also have results below the normal range on a metric called forced expiratory volume, or FEV1, which measures how much air you can exhale in the first second of breathing out. This measurement comes from a medical test called spirometry, which you must complete within the same 12-month span as your three hospitalizations.
Your results must be below the SSA’s established values for your age, gender, and height:
| Height (cm) | Height (inches) | Age 18 to 20 (Females) FEV1 | Age 18 to 20 (Males) FEV1 | Age 20+ (Females) FEV1 | Age 20+ (Males) FEV1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| <153.0 | <60.25 | ≤1.65 | ≤1.90 | ≤1.45 | ≤1.60 |
| 153.0 to <159.0 | 60.25 to <62.50 | ≤1.75 | ≤2.05 | ≤1.55 | ≤1.75 |
| 159.0 to <164.0 | 62.50 to <64.50 | ≤1.85 | ≤2.15 | ≤1.65 | ≤1.90 |
| 164.0 to <169.0 | 64.50 to <66.50 | ≤1.95 | ≤2.30 | ≤1.75 | ≤2.00 |
| 169.0 to <174.0 | 66.50 to <68.50 | ≤2.05 | ≤2.45 | ≤1.85 | ≤2.15 |
| 174.0 to <180.0 | 68.50 to <70.75 | ≤2.20 | ≤2.60 | ≤2.00 | ≤2.30 |
| 180.0 to <185.0 | 70.75 to <72.75 | ≤2.35 | ≤2.75 | ≤2.10 | ≤2.45 |
| ≥185.0 | ≥72.75 | ≤2.40 | ≤2.85 | ≤2.20 | ≤2.55 |
Common Types of Asthma That Qualify for SSDI
There are many types of asthma, all of which involve airway inflammation and obstruction. The most common types include:
- Allergic asthma: Inhaling a specific substance, such as dust or pet dander, triggers an immune response that causes swelling of the airways.
- Seasonal asthma: Seasonally specific triggers, such as pollen or humidity, cause the airways to swell.
- Occupational asthma Substances in the workplace trigger symptoms. Common triggers include wood dust, fungi, and chemicals.
- Non-allergic asthma: Factors other than allergens trigger symptoms. Triggers can be viral infections, exercise, stress, and environmental conditions.
- Exercise-induced asthma: Physical exertion causes the airways to become tight, constricted, or inflamed.
- Difficult asthma: Symptoms persist despite a high- or medium-dose treatment with a second method of asthma control.
- Severe asthma: Patients frequently experience symptoms and may have limited activity capacity despite high-dose medications and a treatment plan.
- Brittle asthma: In this rare form of the disease, patients experience extreme variability in airway health and have a high risk of sudden, life-threatening attacks.
- Adult-onset asthma: Patients begin showing symptoms after age 20. Causes include allergies, infections, and environmental irritants.
- Childhood asthma: The child's airways are prone to inflammation, which causes wheezing, difficulty breathing, and coughing. Symptoms may resolve or persist into adulthood.
Qualifying Through a Medical-Vocational Allowance
If you don’t qualify for Social Security Disability based on the Blue Book criteria, you may be able to apply via a medical-vocational allowance. In the alternative pathway, the SSA considers your residual functional capacity, or RFC.
What Is Reasonable Functional Capacity?
RFC measures the maximum tasks you can still do despite your limitations. The SSA assesses this capacity based on your complete record, plus any additional physical examination if necessary.
Evidence the SSA considers includes the following:
- Reports from your medical providers
- Statements from medical sources about what you can do
- Self-descriptions of your limitations and limiting symptoms
- Descriptions from family, friends, and others who know you
The SSA will consider this information to evaluate your physical, mental, and sensory ability to meet typical work demands. The first step is considering whether you can do work you’ve done before. If you have no work history or cannot return to a past job type, the SSA will consider whether you can adjust to other work.
Depending on your age, the SSA might assess whether you can perform other potential roles. If it does, it will consider your functional capacity and factors such as education and experience. It will consider your limits of strength and physical exertion and your ability to tolerate potential asthma triggers, such as dust or fumes.
After evaluating your physical and non-physical impairments, the SSA will determine whether you can work and what type of work you are still capable of doing. If they conclude that you cannot perform your previous job or adjust to a different kind of work, including sedentary work, you may qualify for asthma-related disability.
Essential Medical Evidence for Asthma Disability Claims
You can apply for asthma disability online, by phone, or in person. You must provide your personal information, including your date and place of birth, Social Security number, and details about your disabling medical conditions.
The more information you can provide, the stronger your claim will be. Include as much of the following as you have:
- Medical records: A detailed history of your asthma diagnoses and doctor's visits
- Pulmonary function tests: Results of spirometry and other asthma-related testing
- Treatment history: Documentation of your medications, emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and any other responses to your symptoms
- Physician statements: Detailed assessments from your doctors addressing the severity of your asthma and its effects on work capacity
If you need help tracking what to include, the SSA provides a valuable “starter kit” for applicants.
How Disability Advice Can Assist With Your Asthma Claim
At Disability Advice, we help individuals with severe asthma navigate the complex Social Security Disability process. Whether you’re applying for the first time or appealing a denial, our team collaborates with experienced advocates to strengthen your claim.
We’re with you every step of the way, from gathering medical records to representing you throughout the appeals process. We’ll work with you to complete the required forms accurately, submit them on time, and respond to any additional documentation you receive, so you don’t have to worry about whether you’re doing it “right.” We can even help you calculate estimated potential payments.
We’re here for all of it, and there are no upfront fees. You only pay if we help you win benefits, so there’s no risk. Contact us today to get started.
- Free case evaluation
- Assist with denied claims
- Ensure you have all documents
- Make the process easy for you
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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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