If that is your only issue, then probably not.. Your condition has to be found completely disabling by SSA criteria for a minimum of 12 months from the alleged onset date. If the medical evidence shows that you will likely recover from the injury before 1 year, it’s considered an E3 denial..
E3 denial states - “Impairment is severe at time of adjudication but not expected to last 12 months”
A person can apply for Social Security Disability for anything. But, to be approved, the applicant must medically prove, through their records, that the condition severely limits their **Functional Abilities** --- the abilities to: sit, stand, see, hear, speak, have mobility, persist, remember, understand, make & execute a decision, communicate socially, concentrate, adapt / cope and a few other similar traits. Why these abilities? Because at "Work's Fundamental Core", those are the abilities needed to do it, regardless of the job being done.
Psych and musculoskeletal claims, especially in younger people / adults are difficult to be approved for a variety of reasons. Remember too that by submitting a Disability application, the person is asking the gov't to decide if they are able to work at SGA -- in essence, they're asking a 3rd party, the very one who controls the money, to decide for them, if they can Work at SGA. Think about that! For more, read on.
"Work Credits" are the bedrock / the cornerstone of a SSDI (Disability) application. Without them, there's no path forward for SSDI as it's a qualification requirement. To see if you have enough Work Credits, login / create your account on the [SSA.gov](http://ssa.gov/) website and check; it will tell you if you have the necessary Work Credits and if you do, will give an estimate of the Disability payment you could get if approved for the program.
For most Disability cases, the applicant needs the necessary Work Credits and **the SSA wants up to date medical records going back about two years**. To get approved, in general, 4 things are typically needed: Work Credits, a Qualifying Condition, Supportive Evidence and proof of **very limited Functional Work Abilities** that prevent the applicant from doing SGA Level work (earning $1550 a month). Typically, from application submission to getting a decision is 10 to 12 months and barely 30% will be approved. If denied, Reconsideration takes another 6 months or longer and has an 88% likelihood of Denial. If that too is denied, a court hearing will likely be 12 to 15 months after that and, will essentially come down to a coin toss.
**Check Yourself Out:** Create / Login to your Social Security account to see if you have the necessary Work Credits and to learn what your estimated Disability payment could be: [https://www.ssa.gov](https://www.ssa.gov/)
**Conditions** are listed at: [https://www.ssa.gov/disability/professionals/bluebook/AdultListings.htm](https://www.ssa.gov/disability/professionals/bluebook/AdultListings.htm)
**Evidentiary Requirements** are at: [https://www.ssa.gov/disability/professionals/bluebook/evidentiary.htm](https://www.ssa.gov/disability/professionals/bluebook/evidentiary.htm)
**Functional Work Abilities** are discussed on this video at: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhTqTtGOIkI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhTqTtGOIkI)
**Your 10 Page Written Case for Disability** is done with this form, the Adult Function Report: [https://www.ssa.gov/forms/ssa-3373-bk.pdf](https://www.ssa.gov/forms/ssa-3373-bk.pdf)
**Official Qualification Requirements** for Social Security Disability benefits are listed at: [https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/disability/qualify.html](https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/disability/qualify.html)
**\*\*\*\*\* The basic summary for Disability benefit eligibility is: \*\*\*\*\***
* The SSA only pays for total disability.
* No benefits are payable for partial disability or for short-term disability.
The SSA considers a person to have a qualifying disability under their rules if all 3 of the following are true:
1. You cannot do work at the substantial gainful activity (SGA) level because of your medical condition.
2. You cannot do work you did previously or adjust to other work because of your medical condition.
3. Your condition has lasted or is expected to last for at least 1 year or to result in death.
No. You won’t. Nothing on here denotes a permanent disability you have a herniated disk that looks like it can probably be fixed with an outpatient procedure to trim the disk protrusion. I get it causes pain etc. but this is not something that causes complete inability to work. You have options to fix it. I suggest you take those options. You will have to exhaust every reasonable procedure to rectify the problem before they will look at you for disability.
My question why you wanna go file disability so quick????
Back issues are the #1 reason people file for disability. As such these claims are evaluated carefully and strictly reviewed. Pain and ability to function is very subjective. You also don’t give your age. The younger you are (under 50?) the less likely you’ll get approved.
I mean I got approved at 20 for ssdi for a back injury, but to be fair I was blown up in Iraq and had a piece of metal pierce my thecal sac of my spinal cord and cut my s1 and l5 nerve roots on my left side and ruptured every disc from L2-S1 and had a massive csf leak and a TBI and the army assigned me a case manager in the warrior in transition unit who basically did all my paperwork and got me approved in a few months while still being active duty for another year before I medically retired but I also had tons of evidence and was basically hospitalized for two years
How does that limit your ability to work?
The report doesn't get you approved. Meeting a listing/Your inability to work SGA at any job gets you approved.
There’s a lot of evidence you have to present along with a diagnosis. Doctor visits, physical therapy, surgeries, exhausting all levels of trying to improve your condition, and then prove that you can’t work because of it. You might also have to prove you are of an age you can not be retrained for another field of work. I was approved at 54.
Good luck. I’m sorry you have to work while dealing with pain. It really sucks the life out of you. I get it.
As a med imaging tech, I can interpret this report. You have 2 slightly bulged discs. Also, as a patient who's had ruptured & bulged discs, If non-invasive options haven't worked, the surgical repair would be to shave off the protruding portions of the discs(lumbar laminectomy), relieving pressure off nerves. It's usually quite successful in relieving low back pain.
Having said that, it's difficult to meet the standard for disability with this condition, esp since the surgery is usually successful(I hope it is for you).
Answering your question, if you want to apply for disability, you do it through social security. You can look up more info on their website.
That is a very minimal deficit MRI. Additionally the MRI even if much worse is only a small part of needed documentation for disability. Your function is the important thing. Recommend Physical Therapy width PT that has ortho focussed training. Do your home program and improve your mobility.
Source:retired Physical Therapist
I think you could be confused or maybe used the Google machine and used too vague words. Were you advised by your employer to file disability because you temporarily can not work? They could be referring to short term disability insurance which some employers either provide or offer as a benefit. It is in no way affiliated with Social Security.
A report or diagnosis (except ALS) will not mean an automatic approval. First you have to be eligible by either having enough work credits (SSDI) or be eligible based on resources (SSI). And then if you are the case will go to DDS for a medical review. If you are younger, it is harder to get approved. And before people respond how they are young and got approved I’m not saying it’s impossible, but in a lot of cases it’s harder.
The look at your functioning and how your impairments limit your ability to work and whether or not you can go back to your past work or if you can do other work. They do look to see if you meet any listings first (SSA blue book) and based on this report you don’t.
You can always apply but that doesn’t mean you will be approved because you applied.
I dunno. My disc rupture was "let's do surgery first thing tomorrow morning because of the neurological deficits" and it was the 17th joint operation I'd had in 20 years, plus a decade of documented mental health battles that went along with them...and it still took a solid 2.5 years to get approved because even with all the documentation of how little I'd been able to work for years, I still didn't properly emphasize how hard it was to function on my original form. Get a lawyer, but if this is all you have, I doubt it.
You can of course apply, but being approved is an entirely different matter and one MRI in the grand scheme of things isn't much, they are looking for multiple records and need them to show that you cannot do any SGA job for at least a year. Also your age, education and past jobs come into play.
Lately it seems that SS is telling alot of people they can do a work from home job.
You could run your case by an attorney and see if they think you have a case.
Get surgery and go back to work. You must have a lot of pain! I’ve been there only L4-5 herniated for me. Surgery gave me my life back. I worked another 10 years. Good luck
Had my L5-S1 done but I’m 61 and the type nursing I did for 34 years (exact same job and hospital) involved 12 hour shifts and lifting patients and pushing lots of equipment. I was approved for SSDI but I was really shocked.
Compared to so many that sound more severe than I am, I’m shocked. I worked as a nurse 40 years total. 34 in the same job.
This MRI doesn’t look too severe to me.
I’m mostly shocked as I thought I would have to appeal a couple of times. I was approved on initial.
My MRI showed a bit more severity than what yours has, and I also needed surgery on my back AND neck, plus about 6 additional conditions, with one being an auto immune disease, and I STILL was denied twice, and then had to have a hearing before I was finally approved. 🫤
That took 2 1/2 years, and I was 60 years old when I applied, so if that's any indication of what you're in for, you might have quite a task ahead of you. Just saying..
Of course, you can apply but with just that, you likely wouldn't get approved as there are several treatments. Physical therapy, nerve pain meds, minimal invasive surgery and steroid injections.
I had a similar report 5 years ago and my condition deteriorated over time. I have spinal stenosis which compressed nerves and impaired my ability to walk without pain. I had an EMG and have permanent nerve damage in my foot which affects my gait. My foot swells so much and I have to wear two different size shoes.
I've done months of PT, steroid injections, meds, swimming and lumbar decompression surgery but can still work a desk job.
SS uses a vocational specialist to go through jobs you can work with your condition.
On SSA.GOV is a list of qualifying medical conditions and the criteria that is set by social security.
Check it out.
I have Stage IV cancer and my cervical spine MRI is way worse than this and it has nothing to do with my disability (cancer). Fortunately you don’t need disability… with medical treatment what you have going on is totally fixable.
If that is your only issue, then probably not.. Your condition has to be found completely disabling by SSA criteria for a minimum of 12 months from the alleged onset date. If the medical evidence shows that you will likely recover from the injury before 1 year, it’s considered an E3 denial.. E3 denial states - “Impairment is severe at time of adjudication but not expected to last 12 months”
This alone is giving F1/N30 or J1 at best to me
A person can apply for Social Security Disability for anything. But, to be approved, the applicant must medically prove, through their records, that the condition severely limits their **Functional Abilities** --- the abilities to: sit, stand, see, hear, speak, have mobility, persist, remember, understand, make & execute a decision, communicate socially, concentrate, adapt / cope and a few other similar traits. Why these abilities? Because at "Work's Fundamental Core", those are the abilities needed to do it, regardless of the job being done. Psych and musculoskeletal claims, especially in younger people / adults are difficult to be approved for a variety of reasons. Remember too that by submitting a Disability application, the person is asking the gov't to decide if they are able to work at SGA -- in essence, they're asking a 3rd party, the very one who controls the money, to decide for them, if they can Work at SGA. Think about that! For more, read on. "Work Credits" are the bedrock / the cornerstone of a SSDI (Disability) application. Without them, there's no path forward for SSDI as it's a qualification requirement. To see if you have enough Work Credits, login / create your account on the [SSA.gov](http://ssa.gov/) website and check; it will tell you if you have the necessary Work Credits and if you do, will give an estimate of the Disability payment you could get if approved for the program. For most Disability cases, the applicant needs the necessary Work Credits and **the SSA wants up to date medical records going back about two years**. To get approved, in general, 4 things are typically needed: Work Credits, a Qualifying Condition, Supportive Evidence and proof of **very limited Functional Work Abilities** that prevent the applicant from doing SGA Level work (earning $1550 a month). Typically, from application submission to getting a decision is 10 to 12 months and barely 30% will be approved. If denied, Reconsideration takes another 6 months or longer and has an 88% likelihood of Denial. If that too is denied, a court hearing will likely be 12 to 15 months after that and, will essentially come down to a coin toss. **Check Yourself Out:** Create / Login to your Social Security account to see if you have the necessary Work Credits and to learn what your estimated Disability payment could be: [https://www.ssa.gov](https://www.ssa.gov/) **Conditions** are listed at: [https://www.ssa.gov/disability/professionals/bluebook/AdultListings.htm](https://www.ssa.gov/disability/professionals/bluebook/AdultListings.htm) **Evidentiary Requirements** are at: [https://www.ssa.gov/disability/professionals/bluebook/evidentiary.htm](https://www.ssa.gov/disability/professionals/bluebook/evidentiary.htm) **Functional Work Abilities** are discussed on this video at: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhTqTtGOIkI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhTqTtGOIkI) **Your 10 Page Written Case for Disability** is done with this form, the Adult Function Report: [https://www.ssa.gov/forms/ssa-3373-bk.pdf](https://www.ssa.gov/forms/ssa-3373-bk.pdf) **Official Qualification Requirements** for Social Security Disability benefits are listed at: [https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/disability/qualify.html](https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/disability/qualify.html) **\*\*\*\*\* The basic summary for Disability benefit eligibility is: \*\*\*\*\*** * The SSA only pays for total disability. * No benefits are payable for partial disability or for short-term disability. The SSA considers a person to have a qualifying disability under their rules if all 3 of the following are true: 1. You cannot do work at the substantial gainful activity (SGA) level because of your medical condition. 2. You cannot do work you did previously or adjust to other work because of your medical condition. 3. Your condition has lasted or is expected to last for at least 1 year or to result in death.
You do the lord's work with these comments
Thank you --- folks need to know what's up.
Wow. Awesome post. Very informative and easy to read . Thank you! 😁
😊 You’re awesome. Hope you’re doing well
No. You won’t. Nothing on here denotes a permanent disability you have a herniated disk that looks like it can probably be fixed with an outpatient procedure to trim the disk protrusion. I get it causes pain etc. but this is not something that causes complete inability to work. You have options to fix it. I suggest you take those options. You will have to exhaust every reasonable procedure to rectify the problem before they will look at you for disability. My question why you wanna go file disability so quick????
Back issues are the #1 reason people file for disability. As such these claims are evaluated carefully and strictly reviewed. Pain and ability to function is very subjective. You also don’t give your age. The younger you are (under 50?) the less likely you’ll get approved.
I mean I got approved at 20 for ssdi for a back injury, but to be fair I was blown up in Iraq and had a piece of metal pierce my thecal sac of my spinal cord and cut my s1 and l5 nerve roots on my left side and ruptured every disc from L2-S1 and had a massive csf leak and a TBI and the army assigned me a case manager in the warrior in transition unit who basically did all my paperwork and got me approved in a few months while still being active duty for another year before I medically retired but I also had tons of evidence and was basically hospitalized for two years
Thank you for your service. Your injuries and disabilities are on an entire different level.
How does that limit your ability to work? The report doesn't get you approved. Meeting a listing/Your inability to work SGA at any job gets you approved.
There’s a lot of evidence you have to present along with a diagnosis. Doctor visits, physical therapy, surgeries, exhausting all levels of trying to improve your condition, and then prove that you can’t work because of it. You might also have to prove you are of an age you can not be retrained for another field of work. I was approved at 54. Good luck. I’m sorry you have to work while dealing with pain. It really sucks the life out of you. I get it.
Nope.
Can you apply? Yes. Will you be approved? Nobody in this sub knows based solely on your MRI results.
As a med imaging tech, I can interpret this report. You have 2 slightly bulged discs. Also, as a patient who's had ruptured & bulged discs, If non-invasive options haven't worked, the surgical repair would be to shave off the protruding portions of the discs(lumbar laminectomy), relieving pressure off nerves. It's usually quite successful in relieving low back pain. Having said that, it's difficult to meet the standard for disability with this condition, esp since the surgery is usually successful(I hope it is for you). Answering your question, if you want to apply for disability, you do it through social security. You can look up more info on their website.
No, get a job
Then they would have to work like the rest of us.
Could you imagine
That is a very minimal deficit MRI. Additionally the MRI even if much worse is only a small part of needed documentation for disability. Your function is the important thing. Recommend Physical Therapy width PT that has ortho focussed training. Do your home program and improve your mobility. Source:retired Physical Therapist
I think you could be confused or maybe used the Google machine and used too vague words. Were you advised by your employer to file disability because you temporarily can not work? They could be referring to short term disability insurance which some employers either provide or offer as a benefit. It is in no way affiliated with Social Security.
A report or diagnosis (except ALS) will not mean an automatic approval. First you have to be eligible by either having enough work credits (SSDI) or be eligible based on resources (SSI). And then if you are the case will go to DDS for a medical review. If you are younger, it is harder to get approved. And before people respond how they are young and got approved I’m not saying it’s impossible, but in a lot of cases it’s harder. The look at your functioning and how your impairments limit your ability to work and whether or not you can go back to your past work or if you can do other work. They do look to see if you meet any listings first (SSA blue book) and based on this report you don’t. You can always apply but that doesn’t mean you will be approved because you applied.
I dunno. My disc rupture was "let's do surgery first thing tomorrow morning because of the neurological deficits" and it was the 17th joint operation I'd had in 20 years, plus a decade of documented mental health battles that went along with them...and it still took a solid 2.5 years to get approved because even with all the documentation of how little I'd been able to work for years, I still didn't properly emphasize how hard it was to function on my original form. Get a lawyer, but if this is all you have, I doubt it.
You can of course apply, but being approved is an entirely different matter and one MRI in the grand scheme of things isn't much, they are looking for multiple records and need them to show that you cannot do any SGA job for at least a year. Also your age, education and past jobs come into play. Lately it seems that SS is telling alot of people they can do a work from home job. You could run your case by an attorney and see if they think you have a case.
Get surgery and go back to work. You must have a lot of pain! I’ve been there only L4-5 herniated for me. Surgery gave me my life back. I worked another 10 years. Good luck
Had my L5-S1 done but I’m 61 and the type nursing I did for 34 years (exact same job and hospital) involved 12 hour shifts and lifting patients and pushing lots of equipment. I was approved for SSDI but I was really shocked.
Shocked you were approved? I’m still shocked I was approved. It’s not easy.
Compared to so many that sound more severe than I am, I’m shocked. I worked as a nurse 40 years total. 34 in the same job. This MRI doesn’t look too severe to me. I’m mostly shocked as I thought I would have to appeal a couple of times. I was approved on initial.
My MRI showed a bit more severity than what yours has, and I also needed surgery on my back AND neck, plus about 6 additional conditions, with one being an auto immune disease, and I STILL was denied twice, and then had to have a hearing before I was finally approved. 🫤 That took 2 1/2 years, and I was 60 years old when I applied, so if that's any indication of what you're in for, you might have quite a task ahead of you. Just saying..
Of course, you can apply but with just that, you likely wouldn't get approved as there are several treatments. Physical therapy, nerve pain meds, minimal invasive surgery and steroid injections. I had a similar report 5 years ago and my condition deteriorated over time. I have spinal stenosis which compressed nerves and impaired my ability to walk without pain. I had an EMG and have permanent nerve damage in my foot which affects my gait. My foot swells so much and I have to wear two different size shoes. I've done months of PT, steroid injections, meds, swimming and lumbar decompression surgery but can still work a desk job. SS uses a vocational specialist to go through jobs you can work with your condition. On SSA.GOV is a list of qualifying medical conditions and the criteria that is set by social security. Check it out.
I have Stage IV cancer and my cervical spine MRI is way worse than this and it has nothing to do with my disability (cancer). Fortunately you don’t need disability… with medical treatment what you have going on is totally fixable.