The Social Security Administration maintains a list of conditions for which it determines permanent disability status. Most insurance companies and Workers' Compensation review boards use the SSA's list as a baseline for their own determinations. Occasionally, a condition that is not on this list will receive a determination of "Medical Improvement Not Expected" (MINE). Should you suffer an injury that receives this determination or that you believe qualifies given the following criteria, you may be eligible for permanent disability.
The following is a list of common permanent disabilities that receive Workers' Compensation benefits:
- Permanent loss of use of both hands, both feet, or one hand and one foot
- Amputation of a leg at the hip
- Amputation of a leg or foot because of diabetes mellitus or peripheral vascular diseases
- Total deafness, not correctable by surgery or hearing aid
- Statutory blindness, unless caused by cataracts or detached retina
- IQ of 59 or less, established after the individual reaches age 16
- Spinal cord or nerve root lesions resulting in paraplegia or quadriplegia
- Multiple sclerosis in which there is damage to the nervous system because of scattered areas of inflammation. The inflammation recurs and has progressed to varied interference with the function of the nervous system, including severe muscle weakness, paralysis, and vision and speech defects
- Muscular dystrophy with irreversible wasting of the muscles, impairing the use of arms or legs
- Aquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)
- Impaired kidney function caused by chronic renal disease, resulting in severely reduced function which may require dialysis or kidney transplant
- Amputation of a limb of an individual age 55 or older
For a free evaluation of your Workers' Compensation claim and to determine if you meet your state's eligibility requirements for permanent disability fill out the form above.
