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Living with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) can make even routine activities feel overwhelming. If POTS affects your ability to work, you may be wondering whether you qualify for Social Security Disability benefits.
So, does POTS qualify you for disability? Yes, POTS can qualify you for disability if you can prove that your symptoms are severe enough to consistently prevent you from working.
Obtaining Social Security benefits for POTS can be challenging. If you need to file an application, a North Carolina Social Security Disability lawyer can help gather evidence and maximize your chances of approval.
Does POTS Qualify for Disability Benefits?
Yes, POTS can qualify you for Social Security Disability benefits, but your odds of approval will depend on how significantly the condition limits your ability to work.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) does not have a specific disability listing for POTS in its Blue Book. Instead, disability examiners evaluate how your symptoms affect your functional abilities.
To qualify, you generally must show that:
- You have a medically determinable diagnosis supported by objective medical evidence.
- Your symptoms have lasted or are expected to last at least 12 months or result in death.
- Your condition prevents you from performing your past work.
- You cannot adjust to other work because of your medical limitations, age, education, and work history.
What Medical Evidence Supports a POTS Disability Claim?
Strong medical documentation often makes the difference between approval and denial.
Types of evidence that may help you get approved include:
- Tilt table test results: These can objectively demonstrate the abnormal heart rate response associated with POTS.
- Physician treatment records: Regular medical documentation helps show the persistence and severity of your condition.
- Specialist evaluations: Reports from cardiologists, neurologists, or autonomic disorder specialists can strengthen your claim.
- Medication records: These demonstrate the treatments you have tried and whether your symptoms have persisted.
- Diagnostic testing: Electrocardiograms, autonomic testing, blood work, and other evaluations may help rule out alternative causes.
- Functional capacity assessments: Your doctor may explain specific physical or mental limitations caused by your symptoms.
- Symptom journals: Daily descriptions of dizziness, fatigue, fainting episodes, or activity limitations may support your testimony when combined with medical evidence.
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Can You Receive Disability if You Have Other Medical Conditions?
Yes. Many people with POTS also have additional medical conditions that contribute to their inability to work.
Examples include:
- Ehlers-Danlos syndrome
- Chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS)
- Fibromyalgia
- Migraines
- Autoimmune disorders
- Anxiety disorders
- Depression
- Small fiber neuropathy
- Mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS)
The SSA considers the combined effects of all of your medically documented impairments when evaluating your claim. Even if no single condition is disabling by itself, their combined effects may qualify you for benefits.
Why Are Many POTS Disability Claims Denied?
Many initial disability applications involving POTS are denied.
Common reasons include:
- Insufficient objective medical evidence
- Limited treatment history
- Incomplete medical records
- Lack of specialist evaluations
- Failure to document functional limitations
- Symptoms that appear inconsistent in medical records
- Findings by the SSA that the applicant can still perform sedentary work
A denial does not necessarily mean you are ineligible for benefits. Many applicants are approved during the appeals process after providing additional medical evidence or testimony.
What Happens if Your Disability Application Is Denied?
If your application is denied, you have the right to appeal the decision.
The Social Security Disability appeals process generally consists of four stages:
- Request for reconsideration: Another disability examiner reviews your claim and any additional evidence you present.
- Administrative law judge hearing: You present testimony, submit new medical evidence, and answer questions before a judge.
- Appeals Council review: The Appeals Council reviews whether the judge made legal or procedural errors.
- Federal court review: In some cases, you may pursue judicial review after completing the administrative appeals process.
What Is POTS?
Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome is a disorder of the autonomic nervous system that affects how the body regulates heart rate and blood pressure when changing positions.
Normally, your body automatically adjusts circulation when you stand. With POTS, those adjustments do not occur properly, causing an abnormal increase in heart rate and reduced blood flow to the brain and other organs.
Although symptoms vary, common signs of POTS include rapid heartbeat after standing, lightheadedness, dizziness, fainting or near-fainting episodes, severe fatigue, brain fog, shortness of breath, headaches, and nausea.
How Can a Disability Lawyer Help With a POTS Claim?
Applying for Social Security Disability benefits can be frustrating, especially if your POTS symptoms already make daily life difficult.
A disability lawyer can assist by:
- Evaluating your claim: A lawyer can determine whether your medical evidence supports disability benefits.
- Gathering medical records: A lawyer can obtain documentation from your healthcare providers, as well as specialists.
- Preparing your application: A lawyer can help ensure your forms are completed accurately.
- Handling appeals: If your initial claim gets denied, a lawyer can gather updated evidence and represent you throughout the appeals process.
- Representing you at hearings: At hearings, a lawyer can question witnesses, respond to the judge’s concerns, and explain how your symptoms prevent full-time work.
Get Help From a Social Security Disability Attorney
If POTS has made it impossible for you to continue working, you do not have to navigate the Social Security Disability process alone. A knowledgeable Social Security Disability attorney from Farmer & Morris Law, PLLC, can evaluate your claim, gather medical evidence for your application, and, if necessary, advocate for you throughout the appeals process.
Book a free case review to get help with your application.
