The law defines disability as the inability to perform in any substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment(s) which is expected to result in death or which has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months. According to a study by statista in 2019, the state of Louisiana is ranked 8th in the percentage of people living with disability in the United States (15.9%).
Disability costs in healthcare expenditures are $6.6 billion per year in Louisiana. Despite progress, adults with disabilities in Louisiana and across the country continue to experience significant differences in health characteristics and behaviors compared to adults without disabilities. About 32.3% of adults in Louisiana have some type of disability.
It is obviously tasking to get by in most families who have at least one disabled individual and in a state like Louisiana, there are various disabilities that hamper productivity in these households. Even if a person qualifies for Social Security Disability benefits, that money hardly makes up for lost wages.
What are the top disabilities in Louisiana?
I will now list some of the most prevalent disabilities in the state of Louisiana. Note that most of these top disabilities are also common in most states all around the United States of America. Lastly, most of these disabilities qualifies one for disability benefits, they include;
- Musculoskeletal system and connective problems including:
- Arthritis
- Back pain
- Fibromyalgia
- Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD).
- Spine diseases
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Tendonitis
- Mental disorders including:
- Mood disorders
- Schizophrenia
- PTSD
- Autism or Asperger’s syndrome
- Depression
- Cardiovascular conditions and circulatory disorders
- Angina
- Hypertension
- Heart diseases
- Cancer
- Nervous system and sense organs conditions
- Parkinson’s diseases
- Epilepsy
- Blindness
- Hearing loss
- Neurological disorders include:
- Epilepsy
- Brain tumors
- Cerebral palsy
- Spinal cord disorders
- Multiple sclerosis
- Traumatic brain injury
- Diabetes, urogenital, blood, and endocrine illnesses are among the most common. The SSA classifies urogenital diseases (such as chronic kidney disease) as genitourinary illnesses in its list of impairments. Sickle cell anemia and leukemia are examples of endocrine diseases and disorders, which affect the function of the body’s primary glands.
- Chronic respiratory diseases – Cystic fibrosis and asthma are two types of chronic respiratory diseases.
The most common cause of impairment in Louisiana varies substantially based on age. Cardiovascular and circulatory disorders, for example, are the fourth largest cause of impairment in those aged 50 to 69, but the first cause of impairment in those aged 80 and over. Noncommunicable illnesses are the primary cause of disability in children under the age of 14, yet they are the sixth most common cause of disability in persons aged 55 to 59.
If you need help getting approved for SSDI or SSI, get a qualified New Orleans disability attorney to help.
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