If you are suffering from a debilitating skin disorder that is preventing you from working, you may be eligible to receive disability benefits through the Social Security Administration (SSA).
The SSA evaluates skin disorders that may result from hereditary, congenital, or acquired pathological processes. The kinds of impairments covered by these listings include:
- Ichthyosis: genetic skin disorders that produce extremely dry, scaly, flaky, or thickened skin that may painfully crack, bleed, and deteriorate.
- Bullous diseases: autoimmune diseases that cause painfully large blisters or lesions to form on the skin.
- Chronic infections of the skin or mucous membranes.
- Severe dermatitis: any type of disorder that causes severe flaking, itching, swelling, or redness of the skin, including psoriasis, dyshidrosis, atopic dermatitis, exfoliative dermatitis, and allergic contact dermatitis.
- Hidradenitis suppurativa: a chronic skin condition that features painful pea-sized to marble-sized lumps under the skin. Lumps typically develop where skin rubs together such as the armpits or groin.
- Genetic photosensitivity disorders: skin disorders classified by extreme sensitivity to sunlight, which can cause painful lesions, burns, ulcers, and rashes.
- Severe burns.
While the SSA has a list of skin conditions that it uses as a guideline for possible approval of benefits, there is no guarantee that you will be approved just because you have one of the conditions listed.
As with any other disability or condition that keeps you from working, you’ll need to fill out an application with the SSA to see about obtaining disability benefits. Please call our office if you have any questions.