Written by:

Linda Cosme-Vice President of DIsability Policy & Strategy, Citizen’s Disability

Can You Get Disability for Diabetes?

Video Transcript

Diabetes can be a serious, life-altering condition—but can it qualify you for Social Security disability benefits? The answer depends on how your symptoms affect your ability to work. While diabetes itself is not always considered a disabling condition by the Social Security Administration (SSA), the complications from diabetes can be severe enough to qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI).

In this video, we’ll explain how to get approved for SSDI with diabetes, what medical evidence you need, and how Disability Advice can help strengthen your claim.

The SSA does not automatically consider diabetes a qualifying condition for SSDI. However, if your diabetes or its complications prevent you from working full-time, you may still be eligible for benefits.

You may qualify if you suffer from severe complications such as:

Diabetic neuropathy (nerve damage that affects movement or sensation)

Diabetic retinopathy (severe vision impairment or blindness)

Kidney disease requiring dialysis

Cardiovascular issues related to diabetes

Frequent hospitalizations due to uncontrolled blood sugar levels

If these complications limit your ability to perform work-related activities, you may meet the SSA’s disability criteria.

To prove your case, you will need to provide thorough medical documentation, including:

Medical records from your endocrinologist or primary care doctor

Laboratory test results showing uncontrolled blood sugar levels

Reports of complications such as nerve damage, vision loss, or kidney disease

Prescription history for diabetes-related medications

Statements from your doctor explaining how diabetes affects your ability to work

In addition to medical evidence, daily impact statements from family members, caregivers, or former employers can further support your claim.

Many SSDI claims for diabetes are denied due to a lack of medical evidence or failure to prove how symptoms impact daily functioning. Disability Advice can guide you through the application process, ensuring your claim is complete and well-documented. We help applicants collect the right medical evidence, complete paperwork, and appeal denials if necessary.

If you need assistance with your SSDI claim, visit disabilityadvice.org to get started today.

Key Takeaways

Diabetes qualifies as a disability if it causes severe complications that prevent work for at least 12 months or are expected to be fatal.
Individuals with diabetes may qualify for either SSDI or SSI depending on their work history and income.
Diabetic complications, such as nerve damage, cardiovascular issues, and kidney failure, are recognized as disabilities by the Social Security Administration.
Diabetes-related conditions like ketoacidosis and hypoglycemia may also contribute to qualifying for disability benefits.

Is Diabetes Considered a Disability?

Yes, diabetes mellitus is a qualifying disability if it causes complications that will likely prevent you from working for at least the next 12 months or is expected to cause your death.

Diabetes is an endocrine disorder that can cause chronic high blood sugar, which damages the nerves and blood vessels. This development can trigger serious and debilitating conditions, including blindness, loss of sensation in the extremities, carpal tunnel syndrome, amputations, heart disease, kidney disease, and other disabling conditions. Maintaining a steady job is impossible for many with diabetes who are coping with these serious complications.

Qualifying for SSDI

You may be eligible for Social Security Disability Insurance, or SSDI, if you have a qualifying disability and have worked long enough to accrue sufficient work credits. This means you paid enough into the Social Security system to be insured. The minimum number of work credits required varies based on the age at which diabetes rendered you disabled.

Qualifying for SSI

If you do not have enough work credits to qualify for SSDI but have developed disabling complications from diabetes, you may qualify for Supplemental Security Income, or SSI. SSI pays benefits to low-income individuals with qualifying disabilities and limited resources. You may be able to get SSI for diabetes if you have a complication preventing you from maintaining gainful employment that is expected to either last at least a year or end in death. SSI is a needs-based program, so you must have little to no income or resources to qualify.

Disability Eligibility Criteria for Diabetes

The Social Security Administration’s Listing of Impairments covers diabetes under the Endocrine Disorders category as Diabetes Mellitus Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1 diabetes, also known as juvenile diabetes, is characterized by an inability to produce insulin. Type 2 diabetes stems from the body’s failure to respond to insulin, also known as insulin resistance.

Both types cause a blood sugar increase—a condition known as hyperglycemia—if not controlled. Elevated blood sugar rarely causes symptoms that would qualify as disabling. However, chronic hyperglycemia can damage the nerves and blood vessels, causing acute and long-term complications in multiple body systems. These complications include acute and chronic health conditions that instigate long-term disabilities.

Many of these complications are listed as separate conditions on the Listing of Impairments. If you meet the criteria described for any condition, you have a qualifying disability.

Diabetic Ketoacidosis

Diabetic ketoacidosis occurs when the body becomes too acidic and hyperglycemic due to an illness or lack of insulin therapy. It is a dangerous condition that usually requires hospitalization. Treatment for ketoacidosis can cause long-term complications that may trigger permanent functional limitations severe enough to qualify for disability benefits. These complications include the following conditions under the Listing of Impairments:

Cardiac arrhythmias
Intestinal necrosis
Cerebral edema
Seizures

If you experience diabetic ketoacidosis repeatedly, it could be a sign of a mood disorder or eating disorder. The Listing of Impairments also includes these types of disorders.

Hypoglycemia

Those with diabetes often experience blood sugar ups and downs, which include episodes of dangerously low blood sugar levels. Adults who are aware of the warning signs of hypoglycemia can recover by consuming substances high in glucose.

Although the Social Security Administration will consider frequent bouts of hypoglycemia when evaluating disabilities, it may not be enough to qualify as a disability. However, hypoglycemia can precipitate other complications that are listed as qualified impairments, including the following:

Seizures
Unconsciousness
Altered mental status
Cognitive dysfunction

Nerve Damage

Chronic hyperglycemia damages the nerves and can affect any part of the body. Peripheral neuropathy is nerve damage that causes weakness, numbness, and pain. According to the Mayo Clinic, it most commonly develops in the hands and feet but can also affect internal body parts and impair digestion and urination. Diabetic neuropathy is included in the Social Security Administration’s Blue Book under Neurological Disorders.

Cardiovascular Disorders

Peripheral neurovascular disease occurs when the blood vessels narrow. It can affect blood vessels anywhere in the body but most often those of the legs and feet, causing numbness, weakness, skin disorders, and infections. Bacterial and fungal infections can cause gangrene and require amputation.

The Social Security Administration has included persistent bacterial and fungal diseases caused by diabetes on the Listing of Impairments under Skin Disorders. Amputations also are in the Blue Book in the Musculoskeletal Disorders category.

Furthermore, diabetes can cause a narrowing of the blood vessels supplying the heart, known as coronary artery disease. This condition causes shortness of breath, fatigue, and chest pain. The Social Security Administration evaluates disabilities from coronary artery disease and peripheral neurovascular disease under the Cardiovascular Disorders category.

Disorders of the Digestive System

Diabetic gastroparesis involves abnormally slow movement of food from the stomach into the intestines. The Social Security Administration’s Listing of Impairments includes chronic digestive motility disorders that necessitate the use of a feeding tube for at least 12 months.

Kidney Failure

The Social Security Administration evaluates diabetic nephropathy under Genitourinary Disorders and requires supporting medical records and laboratory findings. The administration will need your treatment records and lab data, such as your serum creatinine and albumin levels, to document your kidney function, usually for at least 90 days.

Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy can create significant vision impairment and blindness. The Social Security Administration has included it in the Listing of Impairments in the Special Senses and Speech category. You are statutorily blind if your best corrected central vision is 20/200 or worse.

Unlisted Conditions

If you have diabetes mellitus without any listed complications, you may still qualify for disability. All applications go through a five-step sequential evaluation process to determine whether you can perform substantial gainful activity. This process involves five steps or inquiries:

Can you currently perform substantial gainful activity? If yes, the administration will determine that you are not disabled and deny your application.
Do you have a physical or mental impairment or a combination of impairments that is severe and expected to last at least a year? If yes, your application progresses to step three.
Does your impairment meet or equal an impairment as described in the Listings of Impairments? If yes, your application is approved, but if not, you proceed to step four.
Can you still do past relevant work? If yes, your application automatically progresses to step five, the final question.
Based on your age, education, work experience, and residual functional capacity, can you perform another type of work? If yes, your application is denied, if not, you meet Social Security’s definition of disability and will be awarded disability benefits.

How Much Can You Earn From Disability Benefits

The amount of SSDI benefits you will receive is based on your earnings history and the year you stopped working. As of 2024, the maximum award is $3,822, but most people receive less. The average monthly SSDI payment is $1,537. You can estimate your monthly payment using our SSDI calculator.

If you are eligible for SSI, your monthly payout is based on your income and the number of people in your household. The maximum amount for a single individual in 2024 is $943. However, according to the 2024 Annual Report of the Supplemental Security Income Program, the average monthly payment as of January 2024 was $672. Some states offer supplementation payments to SSI recipients. The average state payment in January 2024 was $214.

Get Help Applying for SSDI Benefits

Applications for SSDI have a high denial rate. Having our knowledgeable Social Security advocates and attorneys on your side increases your likelihood of approval, and we can help you appeal if your claim has been denied. Applications for disability based on diabetes are especially complicated, but we are experienced in handling these types of claims and know how to present your case so SSA receives the best possible and complete application to increase the likelihood of a favorable determination.

LET US HELP YOU

Are You Wondering If You Qualify for SSDI Benefits?

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Written by:

Linda Cosme-Vice President of DIsability Policy & Strategy, Citizen’s Disability

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