Those seeking information pertaining to multiple sclerosis and disability would do well to carry out detailed research on the subject. This is because, if they plan on filing claims for multiple sclerosis disability benefits, they must do so in a legitimate manner; and this is only possible when they use credible sources of information.
Those who are not familiar with the implications of suffering from MS might feel inclined to ask, “Is multiple sclerosis a disability?” In response to them, people in the know posit that multiple sclerosis is not, strictly speaking, a disability. However, individuals suffering from multiple sclerosis may develop a variety of disabilities as the disease progresses.
The Multiple Sclerosis Disability Scale
One disability that may result from MS has to do with weakness in a patient’s leg muscles. If the muscles are significantly weakened to the degree that they make it impossible for the person to walk, then the person is disabled. Another instance where multiple sclerosis and disability coincide involves the development of visual impairment. If a patient’s optic nerve is damaged to the degree that it is impossible to correct the vision with contact lenses or eyeglasses, or if the patient ultimately goes blind in the affected eye(s), then disability is certainly an issue.
Another form of disability results from the cognitive impairment characteristic to MS patients: disability and multiple sclerosis coincide in patients who cannot concentrate on tasks or remember things due to the damage to their neural tissue. Multiple sclerosis and disability can also coincide in patients who experience MS fatigue and in those whose speech is impaired by their MS. Likewise, multiple sclerosis and disability can coincide in patients who suffer debilitating side effects from the medication they take.
In all the examples listed above, multiple sclerosis has the capacity to affect patients’ lives so negatively that they no longer have the capacity to work to support themselves. It may be possible for these patients to apply for disability benefits for multiple sclerosis if they can show that their condition makes it impossible for them to be gainfully employed.
In order to establish that they are eligible for disability benefits, multiple sclerosis patients can use the Kurtzke Expanded Disability Status Scale to rank their respective disability statuses. The scale ranges from 0.0 (for patients whose neurological exams are normal) to 10.0 (for patients who die due to their MS). Patients ranked at 5.0 can walk for about 200 meters without rest or assistance and they cannot work for an entire day unless special provisions are made for them.
