Dealing with MS disability can be difficult, due to the often severe loss of mobility caused by this autoimmune disease. Handling varying levels of Multiple Sclerosis disability is possible through medications, physical therapy, and support groups. There is actually a Multiple Sclerosis disability scale to determine the severity of a person’s disabilities and it is called the EDSS or the Expanded Disability Status Scale. This system assigns a number – 1 thru 10 – to a specific level of mobility. Number one on the scale is assigned to a person showing no signs of disability at all. 2 and 3 are associated with minimal and moderate signs of disability, respectively. A person who is only able to walk about 500 meters without aid and then needs to stop to rest is at number 4 on the scale. By the time a person is assigned a number 7 from the scale, he/she is unable to walk more than 5 meters; aided or unaided. Number 9 on the scale means the person is restricted to bed, yet still able to communicate and eat. At the 9.5 mark on the scale, the person has deteriorated to the point of being completely bedridden and utterly helpless. And number 10 is only assigned to a person after death has occurred.
Applying for disability funding due to MS usually consists of a 5-step process. The first step requires determining if the person is working and within the monetary limits of qualifying for Social Security disability benefits. The next step is to diagnose the severity of the disability. Step 3 involves checking the list of criteria for MS and seeing which ones are present in the person applying for disability. The fourth step includes the need to see if past work can still be performed successfully or not. If it can, then benefits are denied. The fifth and final step includes a review of education level, age, and past work experience.
MS Disability Benefits
The only way to see if you qualify for MS disability insurance is to go through the application process. Past and current medical records are reviewed by an attorney who specializes in disability insurance, in order to see if a person qualifies for Multiple Sclerosis disability benefits. Insurance attorneys have their own criteria to see if a person is able to receive multiple sclerosis disability insurance benefits. Insurance companies vary slightly from one to another, so knowing exactly what types of MS disability assistance they offer is difficult without contacting each one. Multiple Sclerosis disability assistance enables people with MS a chance to obtain money for daily needs when work is no longer possible.
