Osteomyelitis refers to infection in a bone and usually affects the long bones in the body – your upper arm bone or your leg bones. It can also affect your pelvis and spine.
The condition can be acute or chronic and affects about two out of every 10,000 people in the United States.
If you, or a loved one, have been diagnosed with osteomyelitis, the condition and/or complications resulting from or other conditions along with it may cause you to not be able to work. You may need assistance and financial help.
Social Security disability attorneys and advocates can help you in all phases of the social security disability claim process.
Whether or not you qualify for Social Security benefits or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and are approved for benefits will depend entirely on the information obtained from your medical records, including statements you may have obtained from your treating physician, as well as information obtained from your work history if you’re an adult or academic records if you’re a minor-aged child.
Bear in mind that the social security administration doesn’t award benefits based on simply having a condition, but rather based on the extent to which a condition causes functional limitations – which can be great enough to make work activity impossible. Or in the case of a child, make it impossible to engage in age-appropriate activities.
In order to strengthen your case, be sure to have a statement from the treating physician to present to a judge during the hearing level.
Be sure to have the information regarding how your condition is limiting you in regard to work or school.
While waiting for SSI or Social Security disability, there are a few sources of assistance that can help you financially. Contact your local Department of Social Services to see what help is available in your local area. Other sources of assistance are state temporary disability benefits, available in California, Hawaii, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island.
You may also consider public assistance benefits (aka welfare) and unemployment benefits if you were recently laid off due to your condition.
Claimants with equity in their homes may wish to consider: refinancing their home payment; refinancing their total debts; or drawing on an equity line of credit while their disability case is pending.
Anyone starting the disability process shouldn’t incur unnecessary new debts or obligations while the process is ongoing. A personal loan may help hold you over if you have no other source of income and can’t get help from loved ones.
