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If you suffer from MS you certainly may be eligible for Social Security Disability.

With symptoms such as numbness and weakness in your limbs, tingling and pain, blurred vision, tremors, unsteady gait, fatigue or dizziness you will be limited in your activities.

The key will be whether Social Security thinks your symptoms keep you from working on a full time basis.

For example, unsteady gait and dizziness may keep you from standing or walking most of the day but you may be able to work a sit down job. If you also have tremors of the arms and hands it may keep you from using them. This will most likely prevent you from doing any job.

Questions about MS or other limitations and how Social Security Disability looks at them? Please feel free to call me Illinois Attorney Dirk May at 309-827-4371.

When you have problems that limit the use of your arms and hands this is very important for your Social Security Disability.

The reason is that Social Security is concerned with the limitations you have because of your condition.

The kinds of jobs you can perform are the key to Social Security Disability.

When you have severe conditions that limit the use of your hands and arms occasionally throughout the day, then this reduces the number of jobs you can perform. In fact, there are only a couple of sedentary jobs that do not require frequent use of the hands and arms.

If your condition keeps you from using your hands and arms at all on the job, then there are very few jobs available at all exertion levels.

Feel free to contact me with questions about how your condition may affect your chances for Social Security Disability.

One important factor in most Social Security Disability cases is explaining your pain to the Administrative Law Judge.

You can break it down into different areas such as:

What is is like? Do you ache? Is it a shooting pain?

Where is it? Does your back pain run down your leg? What parts of your body are affected?

How often does your pain occur, and how long does the pain last?

What aggravates or causes your pain? What is your best position for dealing with the pain?

How does your pain limit you? How does it affect your sitting, standing, walking and lifting? Does it reduce your daily activities?

How do your medications deal with the pain? Do you have any side effects from the medications, such as fatigue or loss of concentration?

What is a bad pain day like? On average how many bad pain days do you have in a week?

The more descriptive and concrete you can be, the better so the Social Security Judge will understand exactly what you are dealing with on a daily basis.

I spend much of my time helping people get their Social Security Disability Benefits they have paid for.

Depression and other mental health conditions are often very disabling.

Social Security recognizes mental conditions alone, and in combination with physical problems, as grounds for finding someone disabled.

Medical evidence is very important in Social Security Disability cases. In mental health cases this means it is crucial that you see a psychiatrist and counselor. You must treat on a regular basis, and take your medications as prescribed.

The basic standard for deciding whether you are disabled is whether your illness keeps you from working full time. The Social Security Judge will focus on limitations caused by your condition. Such as reduced productivity due to lack of concentration, fatigue, inability to follow instructions and carry out daily activities.

Other important factors are hospitalizations, side effects from medications, and the opinions of your psychiatrists and counselors.

Please feel free to contact me, Bloomington, Illinois Social Security Attorney Dirk May, to discuss to best way to present your mental health case to the Social Security Administration.