Getting Disability Benefits for Heart Failure
in Metairie, New Orleans
& Louisiana

How Does Social Security Define Heart Failure for the Purpose of Getting Disability Benefits?

The term “heart failure” can be misleading. Of course it doesn’t mean your heart stopped. It’s also not technically a disease, although many diseases can cause it.

Instead, heart failure is a condition—often chronic and worsening over time—where the heart no longer pumps blood through your body efficiently and effectively.

Heart failure generally comes in two types:

1. Systolic Heart Failure: Your heart muscles have weakened, making it tough to squeeze and pump blood out to the body.
2. Diastolic Heart Failure: The walls of your heart have thickened, making it hard to relax and let blood flow in. This can cause congestive heart failure, where blood backs up and fluid builds in parts of your body.

Either version can make normal daily activities, let alone holding down a job, next to impossible. This is where Social Security Disability benefits can help relieve some of the worry and stress that comes from not working.

Social Security has its own specific definition of heart failure. You must have medically documented evidence of either systolic or diastolic heart failure, which results in one of the following:

1. 1. Persistent symptoms that seriously limit your ability to start, continue or complete exercise or activities determined by a medical professional.
   2. Three or more episodes of acute congestive heart failure in a 12-month period, with evidence of fluid retention and requiring hospitalization or emergency room treatment for more than 12 hours.
   3. Or failing an exercise test because of—
      • Shortness of breath, fatigue, palpitations or chest pains
      • Problematic heart contractions
      • Low systolic blood pressure despite an increase in physical exertion
      • Signs of low blood flow to the brain, such as confusion or a disordered gait when walking

As with all Social Security Disability benefits claims, you must provide proof that your case of heart failure is severe enough to rule out working.

Wondering if you have a strong claim for benefits? It costs nothing to have a conversation with our experienced disability attorney team.

How to Qualify for Social Security Disability Benefits for Heart Failure

To qualify for benefits, your diagnosis must show your heart failure is chronic, meaning it will last a long period, rather than acute, which is a brief episode from which you’re likely to recover. Part of winning disability benefits is proving you cannot work for at least a year.

So you will need clear and extensive medical documentation of your symptoms and conditions. When you file for disability, Social Security will want to know:

• What Symptoms You Have and How Long They Last. Are you having trouble breathing because of fluid retention in your lungs? Do your feet, legs or other body parts swell?

• What Your Blood Tests Show. Do you have abnormal levels of certain minerals or chemicals in your blood, which may signal your organs aren’t working well?

• What Your Heart Tests Show. Did your electrocardiogram (EKG) or an ultrasound of your heart and its connected blood vessels show damage or dysfunction?

• How You Respond to Treatment. What medications do you take and how do they impact your daily life?

• The Limits of Your Physical Activities. How well—or poorly—did you do on your exercise stress tests?

Collecting all this information can truly take its own mental and physical toll. Not only do you need to work closely with your doctor, but you will need to understand all of Social Security’s specific requirements. This is where disability lawyers make the process easier for you.

At Empower Disability, we understand that heart failure damages more than your health—it threatens your livelihood. We work with people facing the same challenges every day. Our disability attorneys have decades of combined experience.

We want to make sure you don’t miss an opportunity to bring relief and stability to your life and your family.