I have had Peronies Diease since
2006, and Dupuytren Contracure since
2007.
I will be 61 in August.
Recently had my SS Doctors evaluation.
Waiting on the decision SSD.
What are my chances of being approved?
Best

You're talking about social security disability income in the U.S., right?

I don't know anything about it, but if you type SSD in the "Search" box at the top of this web page, you'll find a few posts on this topic.

Often they will look to see if you have any other talents for employment. In this case, can you do anything besides teaching tennis.

Good luck. Keep us posted.

Edited 06/05/14 16:45

Keep us informed about how it works out. I would be very surprised if you get it knowing how difficult it is to get. Generally, you would have to be without any other employable skills and the Dupuytren's prevents you from any other type of employment. It really doesn't make any difference how much you have paid in during the years. It does make a difference when you start drawing Social Security retirement.

I wish you the best.

This is some information I found online a while back. Social Security Disability can be difficult to get. If you do get denied, you can always appeal. A lot of people to get approved when they appeal. Good luck!

Can I Get Disability for My Dupuytren’s Contracture?

To be eligible for disability, you must meet several basic requirements first: you cannot be working a substantial amount. Social Security has a threshold called the substantial gainful activity level (called SGA—for 2014, this amount is $1,070); you can't make above this amount and collect disability benefits. Equally as important, your condition must be expected to prevent you from working at the SGA level for at least 12 consecutive months.

If you meet these basic requirements, the Social Security Administration (SSA) must next determine whether your condition meets the requirements of one of the conditions in its Listing of Impairments. If it does, you will be approved for benefits automatically. Unfortunately, Dupuytren’s is not a listed condition. This means that you will have to prove your condition prevents you from not only doing your old job, but that it stops you from doing any other job in the U.S.

Getting Disability Without Meeting a Listing

To decide if you can work at any job, the SSA must first determine your residual functional capacity (RFC). Your RFC is the type of work you can do on a regular and sustained basis. The SSA will prepare a detailed RFC report that uses your medical records to assess how your condition affects your ability to do certain physical work-related activities such as walking, sitting, pushing, and pulling. Based on your functioning in these areas, the SSA will give you an RFC level for sedentary, light, medium, or heavy work.

Unfortunately, because Dupuytren’s contracture doesn’t affect a person’s strength, the SSA will probably conclude that you still have the RFC to do a sedentary job. This means that, on the basis of your RFC alone, you could be denied benefits and have to appeal. However, depending on the severity of your condition, there are techniques you may be able to use to help win your claim. These are discussed in more detail below.

Non-Exertional Impairments

A non-exertional impairment is one that affects your ability to perform certain non-strength related activities. Difficulty with manipulative (hand and finger) or postural (body positions) requirements such as reaching, handling, stooping, climbing, crawling, or crouching is one example of a non-exertional impairment.

If you cannot be treated effectively for Duyputren’s contracture, your ability to use your hands may be affected to the point that you can no longer use them to perform certain hand-related tasks. This could count as a severe non-exertional impairment.

While the SSA might agree this non-exertional limitation prevents you from doing your old job, you still have to prove you can’t do any other work either in order to win your claim. And the SSA will bring up many examples of jobs that don't require fine digital manipulation of both hands that it will say you can do.

Here are some examples.

The claimant filed for disability due to Duyputren’s contracture in his dominant hand. Despite surgery, the claimant’s ring and pinky fingers remained curled to his palm. His past job had been as an auto mechanic, but the condition prevented him from doing his job because he could no longer move his hands into tight areas or grasp tools. Despite this, the SSA determined that there were other sedentary jobs he could do, such as working as a security guard. The claimant was denied benefits.

The claimant filed for disability because of severe Duyputren’s contracture in both hands. His condition could not be treated and, as a result, the middle, ring, and pinky fingers of both hands curled tightly into his palm. His past work had been in construction, which the SSA determined he could no longer do. The SSA did decide, however, that he had the RFC to do at least light work. However, because he could no longer use his hands to effectively grasp, turn, or otherwise manipulate any large or small objects, his attorney was able to effectively argue that the extent of these non-exertional impairments prevented him from doing not only his old job, but any other work.

(rest of the information is in the following post. I ran out of space on this post.)

~ dawn