Long-Term Disability for Syringomyelia

Patients suffering from syringomyelia may face difficulties maintaining employment due to the disease and its associated complications. Those who are unable to work could potentially qualify for long-term disability for syringomyelia. The insurance provider will carefully assess their claim to determine eligibility based on the criteria outlined in the plan. If your disability claim for syrngomyelia was wrongfully denied or terminated, a national long-term disability attorney at Ortiz Law Firm can help you with administrative appeals and a lawsuit against the insurance company.

What Is Syringomyelia?

Syringomyelia is a medical condition where fluid-filled cysts, called syrinx, form inside a person’s spinal cord. When the normal flow of cerebrospinal fluid that protects the brain and spinal cord is blocked, sometimes due to Chiari malformation or trauma to the spine, it can enter the central spinal cord canal and create one of these cysts.

Chiari malformation pushes part of the brain downward into a person’s spinal canal which blocks the normal flow of fluid between the brain and the spine, creating a cyst in some patients. Post-traumatic syringomyelia occurs when a cyst forms in a damaged part of the spinal cord. It can be caused by any of the following:

• Arachnoiditis;
• Tethered spinal cord;
• Spinal tumors;
• Spinal cord injuries; or
• Meningitis.

When syringomyelia happens for unknown reasons, doctors call it idiopathic syringomyelia. When syrinxes affect your brain stem, it is called syringobulbia.

Symptoms of Syringomyelia

Symptoms of syringomyelia include the following:

• Balance problems and uncoordinated movements;
• Involuntary muscle contractions and twitches in your back, shoulders, neck, arms, or legs;
• Headaches;
• Pain in your arms, neck, middle of the back, and legs;
• Piercing, burning, tingling, or numb feeling in the arms and legs;
• Muscle weakness and atrophy in the arms or legs;
• Inability to feel temperature or pain in the hands;
• Changes in bladder and bowel function; and,
• In severe cases, paralysis.

Long-Term Disability Claims for Syringomyelia

Qualifying for long-term disability insurance due to syringomyelia can be challenging. To secure disability benefits, you’ll need extensive medical documentation proving your condition severely impairs your ability to work. Ultimately, you must demonstrate that you meet the definition of disability due to your syringomyelia’s debilitating symptoms.

The Definition of Disability

An individual is considered disabled under most long-term disability policies if she or he is (a) unable to perform the job duties of her or his primary occupation for the first two years of the policy; and (b) unable to perform the job duties of any occupation after the first two years of the policy. Each individual policy defines disability differently, so review your own LTD policy to discover how “total disabled” and “disability” are defined in your case.

Proof of Syringomyelia

While your doctor can diagnose syringomyelia based on symptoms, you’ll need medical tests to prove it for long-term disability. You must provide acceptable lab and clinical findings to show you have syringomyelia. The insurance company wants reports with objective lab and clinical findings, so you need precise records from neurologists, diagnostic reports from MRI and CT scans, and evidence of treatments you’ve tried and how they affected your condition.

Evaluating Disability for a Syringomyelia Diagnosis

The insurance company will assign an insurance adjuster to your claim. If the adjuster finds that there’s not enough evidence to make a formal decision, you may be contacted to provide additional documentation. In some cases, you can submit this information yourself. In others, an independent medical source may be required.

If additional information is needed to decide your claim, the insurance company will usually work with a peer review physician or vocational expert to form an opinion on your level of impairment. You may also be required to attend an independent medical examination or functional capacity evaluation. The adjudicator will then look at all of the available evidence and decide your claim.

Schedule a Free Case Evaluation with a Disability Attorney

Have you been denied long-term disability benefits for syringoymelia? An experienced disability attorney can help you get the benefits you deserve. Don’t give up if initially denied; many claims are approved after appealing. We have a proven track record of successful long-term disability appeals, and we represent individuals nationwide. Call Ortiz Law Firm at (888) 321-8131 or contact us online for a free evaluation of your syringomyelia case and assistance with the appeal process.