People whose height is less than average often find themselves disadvantaged. But does that make it a disability? Can you get disability for being short? Let’s find out in the article below.
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Dwarf people are those whose height is less than 4’10” than a fully grown-up adult. And the most common type of dwarfism is Achondroplasia, which affects 1 in 15,000 to 40,000 people. Generally, people with dwarfism can carry their major life activities and gainful activity just as others do.
Still, sometimes it affects their ability to work or do regular jobs. If your dwarfism affects your life in a way that affects your ability to work, you can get SSA benefits.
Dwarfism and Social Security Disability Benefits
Numerous different diseases cause dwarfism and impact many thousands of Americans. The most prevalent of these is Achondroplasia, which causes bone dysplasia that affects around 70 percent of the people who suffer from dwarfism, as the National Library of Medicine explained.
If your dwarfism harms your capability to work, you could be eligible for financial assistance. There are two programs available to you. Social Security Administration (SSA) provides two financial benefits plans designed for those with disabling disabilities to help you make ends meet.
Medical Requirements in the Blue Book
The SSA examines all actual disability insurance claims first using The blue Book. The Blue Book is the SSA’s official listing of impairments and conditions that are eligible to receive social security disability compensation. If you have the qualifications to be listed or are equal to the criteria, you’ll be automatically approved.
There isn’t a specific list for dwarfism. However, there are many lists that you can apply to:
Section 100.00–Low Birth Weight and Failure to Thrive (Children)
- Failure to grow by taking three weight measurements to height within a year but within 60 days indicates that the child is not in the 3rd BMI percentile.
Section 101.00 (Children) and 1.00 (Adults)–Musculoskeletal System
- Reconstructive surgical procedure for a crucial joint bearing weight that limits walking has been ongoing or likely to last for at least one year.
- Joint dysfunction that is severe for any reason (including arthritis) results in significant deformity and chronic joint pain or a limitation in movement, either the joint bearing weight or both upper extremities.
- Any spine disorder that results in nerve root compression and motor loss and restricted movement, the loss of reflexes, clumping of nerves that support the spinal cord and the brain (spinal arachnoiditis), or a narrowing of the spinal column at the level of the lumbar area (lumbar the spinal stenosis).
Section 2.00–Special Senses and Speech
- The loss of central visual acuity, also known as clarity vision, following best correction of 20 to 200.
- The visual field is constrained with the widest area around the fixation point at not more than 20° or an average deviation (MD) of 22 decibels or less.
- A measure of the visual field’s efficiency that is a blend with your visual acuity and a field of not more than 20%, or an impairment score of 1.00 or greater, and both following the correction for the best.
- Hearing loss is not treated by cochlear implants, with typical air conduction at 90 decibels or more and bone conduction at 60 decibels and higher or a score of word recognition that is less than 40 percent.
Section 3.00–Respiratory System
- Sleep-related breathing disorders, like sleep apnea, do not react to treatments leading to an altered sleep pattern that could cause extreme tiredness, daytime sleepiness, memory loss, and mental impairment. The diagnosis is made under one of the following conditions:
- Cor pulmonale, chronic pulmonary hypertension. This can result in an artery in the pulmonary system that is pressured to 40mm Hg or greater or a low blood oxygen level.
- Organic mental disorders cause the disorientation of time and location, hallucinations, memory impairment and delusions, changes in moods, changes in emotional instability, or loss of up to 15 IQ points.
Section 4.00–Cardiovascular System
- Congenital heart disease is associated with poor blood circulation and oxygenation (cyanosis) and a hematocrit higher than 55 Shunting, the pulmonary vascular obstruction disease.
You might also like to read: Can You Get Disability For A Blood Disorder?
Can I File A Disability Claim For Being Short?
If your dwarfism and its complications are severe enough to affect your ability to carry out daily tasks, talk to your doctor about the likelihood of you being eligible for disability benefits via either an RFC or the Blue Book or an RFC.
The process can take up to two years to complete, so when approval isn’t likely, the time, effort, and expense required to complete the application might not be worth the effort.
Financial Costs of Dwarfism
Dwarfism is a very costly disorder due to the treatment options and the issues. Children who suffer from dwarfism and are afflicted by problems with their skeletal system can also have vision loss, hearing loss, heart defects, severe pain, arthritis, breathing issues, and other ailments that could persist through adulthood, increasing costs for healthcare throughout their lifespan.
There are various treatments for dwarfism based on the medical conditions that caused it, and it comes at a high cost. The surgery can alter the direction of the growth of bones, fix spinal issues, and much more.
However, many patients need to undergo various surgeries to treat the signs. The hospitalization, surgeries, physical therapy, and recovery could cost millions of dollars. Generally, the price of such operations to increase the height ranges from $50000 to $200000.
What Height Is Considered A Disability
Dwarfism is a growth disorder characterized by a shorter than the average height of a person’s body. Dwarf people are those whose height is less than 4’10” than a fully grown-up adult. Dwarfism is regarded as an impairment in many countries, including the USA, India, and South Africa.
Does Dwarfism Shorten Lifespan?
In the cases of proportionate dwarfism, both legs and the torso are abnormally small. Intelligence is typically average, and many have normal life expectations. People with dwarfism can have children, but there are risks for the mother and the child based on the underlying medical conditions.
You might also like to read: Is Hearing Loss A Disability?
Wrap Up
You can make an application for Social Security Disability Insurance in person at your local SSA office, by telephone, or via their online application. It is only possible to apply for Social Security Insurance by visiting the SSA office. If successful, you can receive disability payments.
If you’re applying online and in-person, you must make sure that your application is free of mistakes and that all questions are not filled in. The SSA handles thousands of applications every day, and incorrect or incomplete details can result in a refusal of benefits or, at the very minimum, delay.
