While obesity itself will not qualify someone for Social Security Administration disability benefits, there could be a grouping of factors that lead to benefits.Benefits could also be awarded based on the residual functional capacity (RFC) grouped with age, education and work experience. The Social Security Administration said if an individual has medically severe obesity, it may be found as a qualifying listing.
“As with any other medical condition, we will find that obesity is a ‘severe’ impairment when, alone or in combination with another medically determinable physical or mental impairment(s), it significantly limits an individual’s physical or mental ability to do basic work activities,” the SSA said.
SSA said there is no specific weight or body mass index that will equal severe or not severe, so individualized assessments will be key for any individual who has been critically affected by impairments of obesity. It is important to regularly visit doctors to get the full breadth of symptoms and areas that may be badly affected by the obesity.
Claimants who suffer with obesity may be found to be disabled due to their inability to function in the competitive work environment. It is important for the claimant’s doctor to note functional limitations caused by obesity. Such limitations can significantly interfere with the ability to perform the tasks associated with the functions of daily activities and can result in unemployability in the workplace and a finding of disability by the Social Security Administration. The Law Offices of Harold W. Conick and Associates have years of experience representing claimants on a litany of disabilities, including those stemming from obesity.
