Long-Term Disability for Trigeminal Neuralgia

Trigeminal neuralgia, or tic douloureux, is a chronic pain disorder affecting the trigeminal nerve, which carries sensation from the face to the brain. It causes extreme, spontaneous burning or shock-like facial pain that can make it impossible to perform work duties. The pain itself only lasts a few seconds to a couple of minutes per episode, but the intensity of the pain can be mentally and physically incapacitating.

Long-term disability benefits may help those unable to work due to severe trigeminal neuralgia, but qualifying requires providing medical evidence and documentation of how trigeminal neuralgia limits the ability to work. If you are denied long-term disability for trigeminal neuralgia, national long-term disability attorney Nick Ortiz can guide you through the appeal process.

What Is Trigeminal Neuralgia?

Trigeminal neuralgia as a chronic pain condition that causes sudden, extreme, and sporadic shock-like or burning facial pain.

In trigeminal neuralgia the function of the trigeminal nerve is disrupted. It’s usually a problem with contact between an artery or vein and the trigeminal nerve, found at the base of the brain. This contact adds pressure to the nerve and causes it to malfunction.

Your initial experience may be short, mild attacks, but trigeminal neuralgia can progress into more frequent and longer bouts of searing pain. It affects more women than men and is more likely to occur in people above the age of 50.

Trigeminal neuralgia can be related to multiple sclerosis or other disorders that damage the myelin sheath that protects certain nerves. It may also be caused by a tumor that compresses the trigeminal nerve. In other cases, it can be caused by a stroke, surgical injuries, or facial trauma. Hypertension is also a risk factor for trigeminal neuralgia.

Symptoms of Trigeminal Neuralgia

Trigeminal neuralgia symptoms often include one or more of these patterns:

• Attacks that become more intense and frequent over time.
• Pain spread in a wide pattern or focused in one spot.
• Pain affecting one side of the face at a time, except in rare cases where both sides are affected.
• Pain in areas supplied by the trigeminal nerve, including the lips, gums, teeth, jaw, cheek, or sometimes the forehead or eye.
• Constant burning, aching feeling that may occur before the spasm-like pain of trigeminal neuralgia.
• Episodes of pain that last for days, weeks, months, or longer–intermitent with periods of no pain.
• Attacks triggered by simple things like brushing teeth, speaking, chewing, or touching the face, or spontaneous attacks.

Filing a Long-Term Disability Claim for Trigeminal Neuralgia

To qualify for long term disability with this condition, you must demonstrate that the resulting symptoms and impairments from trigeminal neuralgia interfere with your social, personal, work, and school activities.

The Definition of Disability

Most long-term disability (LTD) policies consider you disabled if you’re unable to perform the duties of your current occupation for the first two years of the policy period. After that, you’re considered disabled if you can’t perform any occupation you’re qualified for. However, every policy is different, so you should review yours to understand how “totally disabled” and “disability” are defined.

Evaluating Disability for People With Trigeminal Neuralgia

Simply having a diagnosis isn’t enough to prove disability. You need medical documentation discussing clinical and laboratory findings. Have your doctor include all objective findings related to your symptoms and limitations, even if they suggest another disorder may be the cause. If more information is needed, you may need to undergo an independent medical exam or functional capacity evaluation. The adjuster assigned to your claim may also have a doctor, psychologist, or other medical expert review your file to determine your level of impairment. The adjuster may also hire a vocational expert to assess your claim.

Get Help Appealing a Wrongful Denial of Long-Term Disability Benefits

If you’ve been denied LTD but have a genuine disability, Ortiz Law Firm can help. Long-term disability attorney Nick Ortiz has represented individuals nationwide in their claims against insurance companies like New York Life, Hartford, Lincoln, MetLife, Prudential, Reliance Standard, Guardian, The Standard, Unum, Sun Life, and other disability insurance companies. Appealing a long-term disability denial can be difficult, so it’s important to speak with legal counsel. Call (888) 321-8131 or contact us online today to get the benefits you deserve.