Patients who have suffered a stroke may be unable to work because of their condition and its related complications. Patients who find themselves unable to work because of their stroke may qualify for long-term disability (LTD) benefits. The insurance company will review their claim to see if they qualify under the conditions of that plan.
What Is a Stroke?
The blood vessels that carry blood to the brain from the heart are called arteries. Our brains need a constant supply of blood, which carries the oxygen and nutrients our brains need to function. Each artery has a specific function and supplies blood to specific areas of the brain. A stroke occurs when one of these arteries to the brain is either blocked or bursts. A blocked blood vessel causes an ischemic stroke. A brain hemorrhage causes a hemorrhagic stroke. Either way, a part of the brain starts to die when it does not get the blood it requires.
Note: A transient ischemic attack (TIA) occurs when the blood supply to the brain is blocked for a period of time. The stoppage of flow causes the brain to malfunction temporarily.
The resulting after-effects of a stroke vary from person to person, but may include difficulty speaking, walking, and seeing. Most stroke patients suffer from numbness, a loss of sensation, and some sort of muscle weakness, which usually affects one side of the body. For some patients, the damage is only for a short period of time; for others it is irreversible. Specific examples of impairments include, but are not limited to:
- Difficulty in speaking or writing effectively due to either expressive aphasia (having difficulty forming words, also called motor aphasia) or sensory aphasia (characterized by fluent, nonsensical speech and the inability to understand, or also called receptive aphasia); and
- Difficulty controlling the movement of one’s extremities (arms and legs), causing serious problems walking and balancing or using one’s hands to grasp and manipulate objects.
According to the latest research news released on Science Daily, one in four people who survive a stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) suffer from symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) within the first year after the event. Moreover, one in nine experienced chronic PTSD more than a year later. The data suggests that each year nearly 300,000 stroke/TIA survivors will develop PTSD symptoms as a result of the cardiac event. The study, led by Columbia University Medical Center researchers, was published on or about June 19, 2013, in the online edition of PLOS ONE.
Approximately 75% of stroke victims have residual effects from a stroke. For many, these effects make it difficult – if not impossible – to work.
Disability Evaluation After a Stroke
Can you be approved for long-term disability on the basis of having had a stroke? As with any disabling condition, you can be approved by satisfying the definition of the term “disability” under your LTD insurance policy. Under most policies you are considered disabled for the first 24 months if you are unable to perform the material and substantial duties of your occupation.
After 24 months of receiving LTD benefits, the definition of disability typically broadens and you must show that you are unable to engage in any gainful occupation on a continual basis. Each of these definitions are a medical-vocational allowance which compares your functional limitations to the vocational skills required by a job.
Getting Disability Due to Loss of Vision
A small percentage of stroke patients experience vision loss following a stroke. The most common type of loss of vision loss after a stroke is hemianopia, where a person loses sight in half of the visual field for each eye . For some stroke victims, this type of vision loss improves in the first few months following a stroke, but for others it does not. You can qualify for LTD disability benefits for hemianopia and other vision loss if your vision keeps you from working.
Obtaining a Medical-Vocational Allowance Based on Stroke
You may qualify for LTD disability benefits through a “medical-vocational allowance” by demonstrating you cannot return to your past work (or other work). To determine whether you can work, the adjuster assigned to your claim will evaluate your medical records and create an RFC for you, which is an assessment of your residual functional capacity. This is an assessment of how much you can still do after your stroke.
To assess your RFC, the insurance claims examiner will look to your medical records to see what common stroke-caused impairments you have. The adjuster will review your treatment notes, admission and discharge summaries, lab and imaging studies, and any supporting statements from your treating physician(s). To make your doctor’s role easier, you should make sure you take notes for your doctor on what you can and cannot do; for example, whether you can walk up stairs, how long you can stand or walk, whether you can use your hands to button your shirt, type on a computer keyboard, and so on.
If your doctor has documented that you have trouble walking, muscle weakness, difficulty with balance, difficulty reading, difficulty understanding directions, or remembering, then these factors will influence the claims examiner’s opinion of what type of work you can still do. For instance, if you have a weakened arm, and you cannot use that hand to grasp and lift objects or do things requiring coordination, such as typing, you will not be able to perform many desk jobs.
That’s because you need to have good control over both hands to work at most sedentary jobs. In this instance, your RFC might be for “less than sedentary” work, and you may be approved for long-term disability benefits. Or, if you have muscle weakness in your leg, and you cannot stand for six to eight hours per day, you will be limited to no more than sedentary work. If your old job required light, medium, or heavy exertion, you won’t be able to go back to it.
Hiring a Disability Attorney
Working with an experienced disability attorney will give you the best chance of getting the benefits you deserve after suffering a stroke. Even if you have been denied benefits, that does not mean your fight is over. Many people are denied benefits the first time they apply. You have the right to file an appeal and try to get more information that may help your case. Getting expert help is often the difference between being denied and being approved for benefits.
While the process can be daunting, your experienced disability attorney will be able to guide you through the process. They do not get paid until you win your case. You can seek help without worrying about upfront costs or unexpected bills.
The Ortiz Law Firm has successfully represented people in disability cases across the United States. If you would like to talk to an experienced disability lawyer about your stroke and its impact on your ability to work, call us at (888) 321-8131. We would be happy to evaluate your case and to discuss how to help you through the appeal process.
