Can Peripheral Neuropathy qualify me for Disability Benefits?
Author Attorney Greg Reed:
Updated: 11/21/2024
Can I get disability benefits if I am suffering from the effects of Peripheral Neuropathy?
First you must meet the SSA’s financial requirement:
You must have worked long enough, recently enough, and not made over a predetermined level of income.
Second you must meet the medical requirements:
The Social Security Administration recognizes peripheral neuropathy as an impairment under Section 11.14. To meet the criteria outlined in this listing, you must prove the following:
OR
- Understanding, remembering, or applying information)
- Interacting with others
- Concentration, persistence, or speed, or
- Taking care of yourself (being aware of hazards, adapting to change, or responding to demands).
You will need to provide complete medical records to Social Security as evidence of peripheral neuropathy, as well as documentation describing what treatments you have tried and your responses.
If you cannot meet the listing requirements you may still qualify if your functional limitations prevent you from doing any job.
Can I get disability benefits if I am suffering from the effects of Peripheral Neuropathy?
Peripheral neuropathy is a chronic medical condition that affects the hands, feet, arms or legs and is characterized by symptoms such as numbness, tingling, prickling, and burning sensations.
This condition occurs when there is damage to the peripheral nerves, which relay information between the brain and the rest of the body. Various conditions can lead to peripheral neuropathy, including diabetes, traumatic injuries, infections, and metabolic disorders; however, in almost one-half of the cases, the cause remains unidentified. Peripheral neuropathy is very common and affects people of all ages, though the majority are over the age of 50. It is estimated that one in 10 people and one in two diabetics suffer from some form of peripheral neuropathy. Often misdiagnosed, peripheral neuropathy can be painful and debilitating, impacting every aspect of a person’s life.
Common symptoms of peripheral neuropathy include:
- Tingling;
- Sharp, burning, or throbbing pain;
- Loss of feeling in hands or feet;
- Muscle weakness;
- Difficulty walking or moving arms and legs; and
- Loss of coordination; falling.
Any of these symptoms can affect the ability to maintain employment.
Treatment depends on the cause and the nerves affected, focusing on managing symptoms and controlling nerve damage. Common prescribed treatments include medications to control pain, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and aids such as braces or orthopedic shoes.
How do I qualify for Social Security Disability Income if I am suffering from the effects of Peripheral Neuropathy?
The Social Security Administration recognizes peripheral neuropathy as an impairment under Section 11.14.
Symptoms and effects of peripheral neuropathy vary from person to person, and not every applicant will be approved for Social Security Disability benefits.
To meet the criteria outlined in this listing, you must prove the following:
- You have so much difficulty moving two of your extremities (an arm and a leg or two arms or two legs) that you are extremely limited in balancing while walking or standing, standing up from a seated position, or using your arms.
OR - You have “marked” physical problems along with a “marked” limitation in one of the following:
- Understanding, remembering, or applying information); or
- Interacting with others; or
- Concentration, persistence, or speed, or
- Taking care of yourself (being aware of hazards, adapting to change, or responding to demands).
“Marked” means worse than moderate but less than extreme. Note that the first criteria above requires extreme physical limitations, while the second list of criteria requires less-than-extreme limitations, which is why the second set also requires severe limitations in thinking, stamina, or social functioning.
You will need to provide complete medical records to Social Security as evidence of peripheral neuropathy, including visits to your doctor, your doctor’s treatment notes, and results of any diagnostic tests you’ve had.
In evaluating your claim, Social Security will want to validate your symptoms through objective testing, including the following:
- Electromyography (EMG) – a test that measures electrical activity of a muscle.
- Nerve conduction velocity (NCV) studies – records electrical activity through your muscles.
- Blood tests to detect vitamin deficiencies.
- Quantitative sensory testing (QST) – measures damage to nerve endings.
- Autonomic testing – measures blood pressure and heart rate.
- Imaging studies, such as MRIs or CT scans.
- Nerve biopsy to check abnormalities in nerves.
Make sure all tests are up to date to reflect your current diagnosis; Social Security prefers records from the last six months.
Social Security will also want to know what treatments you have tried and your responses. For example, assistive devices like walkers or canes, hand or foot braces, orthopedic shoes, medications, and physical therapy are all common treatments prescribed for peripheral neuropathy. If you aren’t being treated regularly, Social Security won’t be able to determine if you would still be disabled with treatment. Finally, ask your doctor to fill out an RFC (Residual Functional Capacity) form evaluating your lifting, reaching, standing up, sitting down, and walking limitations. Social Security gives considerable weight to a treating doctor’s opinion when the doctor’s underlying medical records support the opinion.
If your disability does not satisfy the SSA’s criteria for peripheral neuropathy, you may still qualify for benefits by demonstrating that your impairment has reduced your functional capacity to the point that you are incapable of sustaining any full time work.
Social Security Administration will evaluate your medical documentation and the opinions of your healthcare providers while assessing your residual functional capacity (RFC) to determine if you still can perform your job or any other job, considering your driving capabilities, age, and educational background. In addition to your health issues, for persons over 50 years old, Social Security will consider your age, past work, and educational background under its grids system, as these elements influence your capacity to obtain and sustain employment. If you are unable to perform your previous job or a different job, it is probable that Social Security will approve your disability benefits.
“Once Social Security determines the limitations caused by your condition, they will employ a vocational expert to assess whether a person with these limitations is employable. Most vocational experts will find a person to be unemployable if their condition or the treatment rendered for the condition causes the person to regularly be absent two or more days a month or be “off-task” 15% or more of the workday.”
You may also be eligible for benefits if you have another medical condition. Individuals with peripheral neuropathy frequently experience other ailments, such as diabetes, which may impact their ability to perform their job.
Although a single disorder may not meet the criteria of a specific listing if you are affected by multiple disorders, Social Security is required to evaluate how all of your health issues combined restrict your ability to maintain employment and carry out routine tasks.
Even if you satisfy the medical requirements for peripheral neuropathy, you won’t be approved for disability benefits unless you meet Social Security’s financial requirements.
You must have a disability that has lasted or is expected to last at least 12 months, and you must have worked long enough and recently enough at a job to have earned the required work credits. Work credits are calculated based on your earnings, as long as those earnings are subject to Social Security taxes. Finally, after the onset date of your disability, your work income must not exceed the monthly amount that SSA has determined to be Substantial Gainful Activity or SGA. In 2025, the SGA earning level is set at $1,620 per month for nonblind applicants and $2,700 for those who are blind. So, if your income has exceeded SGA, you do not meet the definition of disability as defined by the regulations governing Social Security disability. Please remember that even if you only work part-time but still earn more than Social Security allows under its substantial gainful activity (SGA) requirements, you will not be legally able to collect Social Security disability benefits.
The attorneys at Bemis, Roach & Reed have experience representing clients at all levels of the Social Security Disability process and in long-term disability insurance cases.
Please call us; our knowledgeable and friendly staff will assist you in evaluating your disability claim. We love to help folks like you find the best course of action for your situation.
Bemis, Roach & Reed Peripheral Neuropathy Case Examples
An SSDI Claim:
A man from the Rio Grande Valley of Texas had applied for disability benefits for peripheral polyneuropathy, diabetes mellitus, and obesity.
The Social Security Administration in their original assessment had declined him benefits; stating that the claimant did not have an impairment that meets the severity of one of the listed impairments and that the claimant had the residual functional capacity to perform sedentary work. They stated that the claimant could occasionally lift and carry 50 pounds, and frequently lift and carry 25 pounds. They found that the claimant could stand and walk for a total of about six hours in an eight-hour workday, and sit for about six hours in a workday and did not find any postural, manipulative, or environmental limitations.
Our attorney Daniel Messenger represented the client at his disability hearing. Occasionally lifting and carrying 50 pounds and frequently lifting and carrying 25 pounds are actually the exertional criteria for medium work. Daniel presented current medical evidence to prove that the client, due to his polyneuropathy and other neuropathy, in conjunction with his obesity, support a limitation to no more than sedentary work. We proved that the claimant’s ailments support a limitation that is more restrictive than that proposed by the original assessment.
In the hearing it was determined that the demands of the claimant’s past relevant work exceeded his residual functional capacity, which limits him to no more than sedentary exertion. The claimant’s acquired job skills were found to not transfer to other occupations given his limitations.
Consequently, the judge ruled that considering the claimant’s age, education, work experience, and residual functional capacity, there were no jobs that exist in significant numbers that the claimant could perform and he was awarded full disability benefits.
An LTD Claim:
A Fort Worth client’s physician certified that she suffered from “constant neuropathic pain.”
The same physician also certified that her condition would impair her for the remainder for her life, that she had regressed, and that he never anticipated a fundamental or marked change in her condition. The doctor did not anticipate that the client would ever be able to return to work. These conclusions were supported by two other physicians, but The Standard chose to deny her claim.
We were able to get her a lump sum settlement.
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Disability Benefits FAQs
Social Security has some basic financial requirements.
Before you are eligible for Social Security disability benefits, you must satisfy some basic financial requirements. You must: 1) have a disability that has lasted or is expected to last 12 months; and 2) you must have worked in a job where you paid Social Security taxes long enough and recently enough; and 3) you must not earn more than Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA), which is $1,620 per month in 2025 for nonblind applicants and $2,700 per month for blind applicants.
Basic SSDI Requirements –>
You may also be eligible for Social Security Disability benefits if you have another medical condition.
One disorder alone may not meet the criteria of an impairment as stated in Social Security’s Blue Book, but if you have more than one medical condition, Social Security must consider how those health issues combined limit your ability to hold a job and perform necessary daily tasks.
Disability for Multiple Impairments –>
If you are 55 or older or have another medical condition you may get approval.
Applicants who are 55 or older often fall under a grid rule, which means they are not expected to learn a new job.
Disability for those over 55 –>
You may also be eligible for Social Security Disability benefits if you have another medical condition.
One disorder alone may not meet the criteria of an impairment as stated in Social Security’s Blue Book, but if you have more than one medical condition, Social Security must consider how those health issues combined limit your ability to hold a job and perform necessary daily tasks.
Disability for Multiple Impairments –>
Should you file a claim?
If you believe that you meet Social Security’s medical and financial requirements, you should apply for benefits. If you are still unsure or would like to talk to someone, please contact us at 512-454-4000. We are always ready to take your call and discuss your options with you free of charge. We are happy to help folks just like you find the best solution for their personal situation.
How do I file for Social Security Disability benefits?
Once you have decided to file a claim, you can take the first step and apply for Social Security Disability benefits in person at your local Social Security Administration office, online, or over the phone.
How to Apply for SSDI –>
Appealing denied benefits
Most who file are denied initially. That doesn’t mean you won’t qualify; you just need to file an appeal.
There are four steps to the Social Security appeal process.
SSDI Appeals Process –>
Do I need a disability attorney for SSDI?
You may certainly file a claim on your own, but evidence shows that your chances for approval are increased significantly if you have legal representation.
Do I need an SSDI attorney–>
What if I don’t qualify for SSDI?
If you haven’t worked long enough to earn enough work credits, or if you earn too much income, you may be eligible for disability benefits through another Social Security program, such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI), or from a long-term disability insurance plan through your employer or a privately purchased policy.
What is Supplemental Security Income or SSI?–>
I have long-term disability insurance – should I file a claim?
Absolutely – you should file a claim as soon as you become disabled.
LTD Disability Appeals Process–>
Disability benefits are an important source of income for those who are unable to work. If you are not able to work due to accident or illness, you may be eligible for Social Security Disability or Long Term Disability benefits. If you have applied for benefits and been denied, contact the attorneys at Bemis, Roach and Reed for a free consultation. Call 512-454-4000 and get help NOW.
Author: Attorney Greg Reed has been practicing law for 29 years. He is Superlawyers rated by Thomson Reuters and is Top AV Preeminent® and Client Champion Gold rated by Martindale Hubbell. Through his extensive litigation Mr. Reed obtained board certification from the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Greg is admitted to practice in the United States District Court – all Texas Districts and the United States Court of Appeals-Fifth Circuit. Mr. Reed is a member of the Travis County Bar Association, Texas Trial Lawyers Association, past Director of the Capital Area Trial Lawyers Association, and an Associate member of the American Board of Trial Advocates. Mr. Reed and all the members of Bemis, Roach & Reed have been active participants in the Travis County Lawyer referral service.
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