Can Rheumatoid Arthritis Make You Eligible for SSD Benefits?
Rheumatoid arthritis doesn’t just hurt. It invades every corner of your life, turning routine movements into deliberate decisions. You might grip a coffee mug differently, avoid certain tasks at work, or notice your productivity slipping as inflammation flares. When these physical limitations interfere with your livelihood, Social Security Disability benefits can provide the financial relief you need.
Yes, rheumatoid arthritis is a recognized disability for which you can get benefits approved. The Keener Law Firm has built its practice around helping people with autoimmune conditions get approved for the benefits they deserve, bringing both legal knowledge and genuine understanding to every case.
Understanding Rheumatoid Arthritis as a Disability
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder where your immune system mistakenly attacks the lining of your joints. This causes painful swelling that can eventually lead to joint deformity and bone erosion. The condition typically starts with smaller joints like fingers and toes before progressing to wrists, knees, hips, and shoulders.
The Social Security Administration recognizes rheumatoid arthritis under Section 14.09 of its Blue Book, which catalogs conditions that can result in disability approval. The listing falls under inflammatory arthritis within the immune system disorders category. However, simply having a diagnosis does not automatically secure benefits. You must demonstrate that your condition prevents you from maintaining substantial gainful activity for at least 12 months.
Meeting the Medical Requirements
For 2025, the SSA defines substantial gainful activity as earning $1,620 or more per month for non-blind individuals. If your rheumatoid arthritis prevents you from earning above this threshold, you may be approved for benefits.
The Blue Book outlines several pathways to approval under listing 14.09. You might meet the listing if you have persistent inflammation or deformity in one or more major joints that severely limits your mobility. This includes needing a walker, crutches, wheelchair, or other assistive devices to move around. Another pathway involves inflammation or deformity in major joints of both upper extremities that prevents you from performing fine and gross motor movements effectively.
Your condition might also meet the required criteria if you experience repeated flare-ups of inflammatory arthritis along with at least two more general symptoms such as severe fatigue, fever, malaise, or involuntary weight loss. These symptoms must occur alongside marked limitations in daily activities, social functioning, or your ability to complete tasks in a timely manner due to concentration or pace issues.
Building Your Medical Evidence
Medical documentation is the key foundation of any successful disability claim. The Social Security Administration looks for comprehensive records from your rheumatologist showing regular treatment history, detailed physical examinations, and laboratory test results. Blood tests revealing a rheumatoid factor, anti-CCP antibodies, or elevated inflammatory markers provide valuable objective evidence of your condition’s severity.
Imaging studies also play a vital role in how your claim is assessed. X-rays, MRIs, or CT scans that show joint damage, erosion, or deformity help establish the physical impact of your rheumatoid arthritis. The SSA requires what they call “medically acceptable imaging” to verify the presence and severity of your condition.
Treatment records should document all medications you’ve tried, including analgesics, NSAIDs, steroids, and disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs. If you’ve undergone physical therapy, occupational therapy, steroid injections, or joint replacement surgery, these records strengthen your claim by showing the extent of intervention required.
When You Don’t Meet the Listing, You Can Still Be Approved
Not meeting listing 14.09 exactly doesn’t mean your claim will be denied. The SSA can approve benefits through what’s called a medical-vocational allowance. This approach considers your age, education, work experience, and residual functional capacity to determine if any jobs exist that you could reasonably perform.
A residual functional capacity assessment evaluates your physical limitations. It examines how long you can sit, stand, or walk, how much weight you can lift or carry, and your ability to perform fine motor tasks like typing or writing. For many people with rheumatoid arthritis, chronic pain, severe fatigue, and limited range of motion make even sedentary work unrealistic.
Your age plays a very significant role in this analysis. If you’re over 50, the SSA applies different standards because it recognizes the difficulty of learning new job skills later in life. Combined with limited transferable skills and severe physical restrictions, this often results in approval even when you don’t precisely meet the Blue Book listing.
Two Programs, Different Requirements (SSDI and SSI)
Social Security offers two disability programs, and understanding the distinction matters. Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) requires a work history where you’ve paid Social Security taxes. You must have earned enough work credits based on your age when you became disabled. For 2025, the maximum monthly SSDI payment is $4,018, though your actual benefit depends on your lifetime average earnings.
Supplemental Security Income doesn’t require work history but has strict income and asset limits. For 2025, the maximum monthly SSI payment is $967 for individuals and $1,450 for couples. You must have less than $2,000 in countable assets as an individual or $3,000 as a couple to receive SSI.
Many people assume they must choose between programs, but you can actually apply for both simultaneously since they share the same application process. Some applicants receive both types of benefits if they meet the requirements for each program.
Why Professional Representation Matters
The Social Security disability system is notoriously complex. Initial denial rates hover around 70%, often because applicants don’t adequately document their functional limitations or miss important procedural requirements. The Keener Law Firm knows that winning approval frequently depends on presenting your case in terms the SSA understands, connecting medical evidence to specific work limitations.
Appeals are an additional opportunity for approval if your initial application is denied. The process includes reconsideration, a hearing before an administrative law judge, appeals council review, and potentially federal court. Research from the U.S. Government Accountability Office shows that applicants with legal representation are three times more likely to win benefits, particularly at the hearing level where an experienced attorney can effectively present testimony and cross-examine medical experts.
Moving Forward with Your Claim
If rheumatoid arthritis has made working impossible, don’t wait. The application process takes several months even in uncomplicated cases. At The Keener Law Firm, we help you gather your medical records, including all treatment notes, lab results, and imaging studies. These documents show how your symptoms affect daily activities, from getting dressed to preparing meals to maintaining personal relationships.
Be honest about your pain levels, fatigue, and functional restrictions. Having knowledgeable legal guidance from The Keener Law Firm throughout this process dramatically improves your chances of securing the benefits you’ve earned through years of paying into the system.
Your health challenges shouldn’t leave you without financial support. Contact The Keener Law Firm today to discuss your individual situation.
Sources
- Social Security Administration https://www.ssa.gov/disability/professionals/bluebook/14.00-Immune-Adult.htm
- Disability Secrets – Can You Receive Disability for Rheumatoid Arthritis? https://www.disabilitysecrets.com/medicine-medication-prescription-drugs-rheumatoid-arthritis.html
- Atticus – Is Rheumatoid Arthritis a Disability? How to Qualify for Benefits https://www.atticus.com/advice/general/rheumatoid-arthritis-disability-benefits
- Social Security Administration – What’s New in 2025 (The Red Book) https://www.ssa.gov/redbook/newfor2025.htm