Stroke and Your Indiana Social Security Disability Benefits

Indianapolis Social Security disability lawyer Scott Lewis often finds himself talking to Indiana residents wondering if they can receive disability benefits because they have experienced a stroke.  Disability attorney Scott Lewis usually finds the stroke itself is not to be the reason the individual cannot work, but the effects afterward.  Many Social Security disability claimants find themselves unable to remember things and complain of short and long term memory loss after experiencing a stroke.  Another problem may include the inability to function physically as they did prior to having a stroke.

One major issue may involve that to be entitled to Indiana Social Security disability benefits an individual must be disabled for twelve months or be expected to be disabled for twelve months, or the disability is expected to result in death. This is called the “durational requirement”.  The Social Security Administration (SSA) could argue that the residual effects of your stroke may go away.  It is difficult to determine if this is true, so good medical evidence may be the key to proving your disability will persist.

Through good medical records, including physical and psychological records, an Indiana Social Security disability claimant should try to prove they are unable to return to their past work, and are unable to perform any other jobs that exist in the economy.  This may be accomplished by showing that the Indiana Social Security disability claimant has such a reduced physical or mental capacity that they are unable to perform substantial gainful activity (SGA).  Indianapolis Social Security disability attorney Scott Lewis also attempts to categorize his disability clients into a listing in the Listing of Impairments issued by the Social Security Administration.