Does a person with lupus qualify for disability benefits?

Answer 1

The diagnosis of Lupus must be confirmed and it must be clearly defined as to how much and to what extent is disables you.

Your best (and only) authority on this matter should be your local office of the Social Security Administration.

Answer 2

I am not a professional answering this question, only someone with a family member who had this same issue. My daughter has been collecting disability for several years, having been diagnosed with lupus during the 90's. After her diagnosis, she was unable to continue working as a teacher's aide (outdoor work with students) as the prolonged exposure to the sun aggravates lupus. She had no problem getting on disability at that time & has been collecting it ever since from Prudential Ins. which provided disability coverage for teachers & aides (premium for same was taken out of her paycheck when she was working). It was compounded by the fact that she also had rheumatoid arthritis, diagnosed shortly after the lupus diagnosis & possibly even caused & precipitated by the lupus. And she did not even have to file several times as a lot of people have to do now. She has since acquired ever more medical issues & had many Medicaid-paid surgeries, costly procedures, & voluminous medications, which a person with advanced lupus & R.A. should possibly expect to incur. (i.e., it starts usually with lesions on the scalp, then progresses to bones & joints, neck problems, spine, etc.) Some of the surgeries involved actual removal of bones in her hands, arms, & ribs infected with cysts and/or tumors from the rapidly-progressing R.A. I don't know where you would apply for disability now, but if you get rejected after applying, know that it may eventually disable you, so you'll want to be persistent by re-applying if at first rejected.


Social Security does recognize lupus as a disability. It is best to retain a lawyer. First, you have to prove that you are serologically positive for lupus (variety of lab tests) and then you have to prove disability under the subsection of the code for each part of the body that is affected.

Lupus does not cause rheumatoid Arthritis. They are both autoimmune diseases and can co-exist.

Answer 3

No.