There are a number of neurological disorders that can be considered disabling for Social Security disability purposes, if those disorders meet Social Security’s rules related to limitations and severity. Some disorders, like epilepsy and benign brain tumors can cause the specific impairment of seizures in individuals who have a neurological disorder. An individual who suffers from seizures will be evaluated for potential disability benefits by Social Security according to the rules set by Social Security on neurological disorders.
Because seizures are not all the same and people who suffer from them experience different types of limitations, understanding certain things about seizures is valuable to allow Social Security to have a better understanding of how it can impact a claimant. A claimant who suffers from seizures should keep a log of their seizures, depicting the length and severity of the seizure, which will come in handy when Social Security asks for more information about the claimant’s seizures. Below is information from Social Security’s rules related to neurological disorders.
We evaluate epilepsy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, coma or persistent vegetative state (PVS), and neurological disorders that cause disorganization of motor function, bulbar and neuromuscular dysfunction, communication impairment, or a combination of limitations in physical and mental functioning such as early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. We evaluate neurological disorders that may manifest in a combination of limitations in physical and mental functioning. For example, if you have a neurological disorder that causes mental limitations, such as Huntington’s disease, which may limit executive functioning (e.g., regulating attention, planning, inhibiting responses, decision-making), we evaluate your limitations using the functional criteria under these listings (see 11.00G). Under this body system, we evaluate the limitations resulting from the impact of the neurological disease process itself. If your neurological disorder results in only mental impairment or if you have a co-occurring mental condition that is not caused by your neurological disorder (for example, dementia), we will evaluate your mental impairment under the mental disorders body system.
