Devastating accidents like tractor-trailer accidents or rollover accidents may result in spinal cord injuries. In accidents in which a person is completely or partially ejected from the vehicle, there may be severe damage to the spinal cord causing a possibly long-term spinal cord injury. Other less severe types of spinal cord injury also frequently result from accidents, and these injuries and diseases impair the person’s ability to work productively and earn a living.
These persons therefore may qualify for disability benefits, but not all persons with a spinal cord injury automatically qualify for disability benefits. For that matter, you are not guaranteed disability benefits if you suffer from paraplegia, or the inability to use your lower limbs, or are currently confined to a wheelchair.
To qualify for disability benefits under the Social Security program your disability must be so severe that it prevents you from performing work-related tasks. For instance, if your spinal cord injury has resulted in damage to the spinal cord and has caused limitations in motion as well as loss of muscle strength and loss of reflexes, you may be able to prove that your condition meets the qualifications for disability.
For a person with a spinal cord injury to qualify for disability benefits, it may or may not involve vertebral fractures. If the spinal cord injury results in neurological deficits, and other symptoms that impair a person’s ability to work, the administration could approve of your application. The Social Security Administration will use a number of parameters to decide whether your injury prevents you from working. Those parameters could include physical, mental and functional impairment.
If you or a loved one has suffered a spinal cord injury in an auto accident, speak with a Social Security disability attorney to discuss filing a claim. Call Houston Social Security disability attorney M. Stanley Whitehead at 713-993-7311.
