MS is a disease that affects the nervous system including the brain and spinal cord causing muscle weakness, coordination and balance issues, visual and cognitive problems, and physical sensations such as numbness, tingling, or prickling. These symptoms occur when the sheath that protects the nerve cells becomes damaged. This causes messages between the nerves and brain to be disrupted. There is no known cause or cure for MS but drug therapies including Corticosteroid medications such as Avonex, Betaseron, Rebif, Copaxone, Novantrone, and Tysabri can slow the progress of the disease and alleviate symptoms. MS is most likely to occur in women age 20 to 40 but also occurs in men and can cause loss of ability or limitations in ability to speak, see, and/or walk. In order to qualify for Social Security Disability benefits an individual must show severe limitations in motor function, vision, or in mental or cognitive functioning. Also, documentation of significant reproducible fatigue in the muscle groups related to neurological dysfunction may be utilized to prove disability.
In order to prove your disability to Social Security, you need to either document that your condition or conditions meet or equal in severity the criteria found in the Social Security Commissioner's regulations or, if you are an adult, that your condition and symptoms are so severe that you are unable to work. If you are a child under 18, you must similarly show that your condition or conditions meet or equal in severity the criteria in the Social Security Commissioner's regulations or that your condition or conditions functionally equals the Commissioner's regulations. The law firm of Sheryl Gandel Mazur has experienced disability attorneys and has been representing individuals in their Social Security disability appeals for over twenty five years. Let us help you receive your Social Security disability benefits.
Our disability law firm represents individuals:
- In filing their initial disability applications
- In handling cases at the initial level including appealing initial denials
- In handling cases at the reconsideration level including appealing reconsideration denials
- In handling cases at the hearings level
- In appealing and handling cases at the Appeals Council level
- In appealing and handling cases at the Federal Court level
This firm also handles SSI child's disability cases at all levels.
Organizations: National Multiple Sclerosis Society: www.nationalmssociety.org/index.aspx; New Jersey Chapter: www.njm.nationalmssociety.org
