When diagnosed with ALS, you become immediately eligible for disability benefits and Medicare.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal motor neuron disease. It is distinguished by progressive nerve cell degeneration in the spinal cord and brain. It's also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, after the renowned baseball player who died as a result of it. ALS is a severe disease that inhibits nerve and muscle function.

ALS has no effect on cognitive function or senses (such as sight or hearing), and it is not contagious. This ailment presently has no remedy.

ALS is most common in individuals of any race or ethnicity between the ages of 40 and 70, but it can attack at any age.

ALS is classified into two types:

  • - Sporadic: This is the most common kind of ALS in the US, accounting for 90% to 95% of all cases. These cases appear at random, with no known cause, and there is no ALS family history.
  • - Familial: This kind of ALS affects only a few people and is considered to be hereditary.

How to Qualify for ALS with Disabling Symptoms?

People with ALS may have muscle weakness and twitching in their hands, feet, or limbs at first. As the disease advances and nerve cells are injured, muscles weaken, causing difficulties walking, speaking, swallowing, and breathing. The sickness is generally fatal three to five years after the first symptoms appear.

Does the SSA Consider ALS as Eligible for SSDI?

The Social Security Administration (SSA) has added it to its list of Compassionate Allowance Conditions, because ALS is a severely debilitating condition with no known cure, which may qualify you for faster disability processing. If you register an ALS diagnosis with the SSA, along with accompanying medical documentation, the agency will automatically find that you meet the requirements of Blue Book Listing 11.10 for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

How to Qualify for Disability for ALS?

A official diagnosis of ALS must be included in your medical records. Because no one test can confirm the existence of ALS, the diagnosis must be based on the following:

  • - Physicians' notes describing ALS symptoms
  • - Neurological evaluations (reflex and motor function tests) compatible with an ALS diagnosis
  • - Electromyography (EMG), a method for detecting electrical activity in muscle fibres, and
  • - Nerve conduction investigations are used to determine nerves' capacity to convey electrical impulses.

Blood and urine tests, as well as a muscle biopsy, may be ordered by your doctor to rule out other diseases that produce symptoms similar to ALS.

You will almost probably need to see a neurologist if your doctor is a family doctor or a general practitioner to be diagnosed. If you provide the above-mentioned medical evidence and a neurologist formally diagnoses you with ALS, Social Security will consider you 'disabled enough' to qualify.

Your disability claim will be accelerated under the Compassionate Allowances programme due to your ALS diagnosis. You don't need to do anything more to be eligible for expedited processing; merely having an ALS diagnosis qualifies you. You should receive a decision within a few weeks, if not within a few days (as opposed to the usual several months).

SSDI for ALS

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) are the two forms of disability payments provided by the Social Security Administration (SSI). Applicants who qualify for SSI may begin receiving benefits right away. Applicants who are accepted for SSDI, on the other hand, must frequently wait five months before Social Security begins receiving compensation.

The ALS Disability Insurance Access Act of 2019 eliminated the five-month waiting period for persons with ALS who were approved for SSDI benefits on or after July 23, 2020. When your application is granted, your SSDI benefits will begin.

Medicare for ALS if You Do Not Qualify for SSDI

If you are qualified for SSDI benefits, you are automatically enrolled in Medicare. (Those with ALS are exempt from the regular two-year Medicare waiting period.) Social Security will deduct monthly Medicare Part B payments from your disability compensation, which will assist pay for doctor visits and home health services. If you choose to be covered through another source, such as your spouse's health care plan, you can decline Part B and keep the premium.

Your doctor may also perform blood and urine tests, as well as a muscle biopsy, to rule out other diseases that cause symptoms similar to ALS.

Hire A Disability Attorney

Those diagnosed with liver cancer must get disability compensation as soon as feasible. A disability attorney can help you navigate the disability process and guarantee that you meet all deadlines. Even if your proof of disability appears to be overwhelming, you should still consult with an attorney at the Law Office of Irene Ruzin.