Speech Disorder Disability Claims

A person with a speech disorder has problems creating or forming the speech sounds needed to communicate with others. In severe cases, a person may even experience a total loss of speech. An inability to speak makes it challenging to function and maintain a job. Fortunately, those who are unable to work due to their speech disorder can file speech disorder disability claims.

Types of Speech Disorders and the Causes

There are many different types of speech impairment, all of which range from mild to severe. These speech disorders can occur naturally at birth or develop naturally as a neurological function, while others are the result of accidents or illnesses.

Regardless of the way the speech disorder occurred, you are no less deserving of financial assistance if you are unable to work due to your impairment. Here are some of the qualifying speech impairments that could limit your ability to work and the causes of the impairments.

• Childhood Apraxia of Speech: Apraxia is when a child has trouble making accurate movements as they speak. This condition occurs because the brain has difficulty coordinating movement.
• Articulation Disorders: This is mainly associated with the inability to form certain sounds. It causes certain words or sounds to become distorted. It is common in young children.
• Resonance Disorders: This disorder occurs when airflow in the nose, mouth, or throat is blocked, affecting the vibrations that control voice quality and articulation. The primary causes of resonance disorders are cleft palates and swollen tonsils.
• Dysarthria: This is when our speech muscles are too weak to form proper words. It is mainly caused by brain injury, especially traumatic brain injury or right hemisphere brain injury.

Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders: These are abnormal movement patterns of the face and mouth. They affect people of all ages, including children, teenagers, and adults, primarily due to abnormal growth and development of facial muscles and bones. The exact causes are still unclear.

Long-Term Disability Insurance Claims for a Speech Disorder

Disability insurance is a type of income protection designed to provide financial assistance in the event of a severe injury or illness that affects one’s ability to work. If you have a disability insurance policy, you may have a claim for long-term disability (LTD) insurance benefits. Many claimants obtain LTD insurance through an employer’s group benefits plan, while others get an individual policy directly from an insurance agent.

Regardless of how you obtained the policy, the unfortunate truth is that insurance companies frequently deny cases for speech impairments. Many claimants face difficulty trying to prove their disability and get compensation from the insurance company. Insurance companies will look for any excuse to avoid paying out claims. Some of the reasons speech impairment claims are denied include:

• The insurer may invoke the subjective limitation clause. A limitation is considered subjective when the claimant describes a disability based on a self-diagnosis without producing objective evidence from a medical professional to back up the reported symptom and resulting limitations. This mostly happens with conditions with no standard medical test to confirm a diagnosis or when the tests are inconclusive.
• The condition has existed for years and has not limited the patient’s ability to work. The insurer will argue that you have been able to work past these problems for years and that nothing has changed. In such a scenario, you will need to use medical records to prove that the condition has been getting worse, with the symptoms progressing to a point where you are no longer able to work.
• The insurer could also invoke the pre-existing condition clause. Most insurers include a pre-existing condition clause in the policy, which allows a disability claim to be denied if the condition you were receiving treatment for before acquiring your insurance coverage is pre-existing.

If your insurance company denies your disability claim, you can significantly improve your chance of being approved for benefits with the help of a disability lawyer experienced in handling LTD appeals for a speech disorder. Our disability lawyers will evaluate your case for free, and you are not obligated to work with our firm.

Applying for Long-Term Disability Benefits

It is worth noting that there is no foolproof way to apply for disability benefits that guarantee you will be approved for benefits. The odds of approval go up as you age, but there is always a possibility that your claim will not be approved. Here are tips on how you can prove your case:

• First, get the disability policy and see how it defines disability and occupation. This will help you know what you need to prove and whether any provisions in your policy could limit coverage.
• After that, you need a copy of your medical records. This is mainly to show an objective basis for your diagnosis.
• Next, obtain your personnel file and job description. The purpose of the personnel file is to show how your impairment affects your work performance. Your job description shows what is expected of you and how your impairment contributes to your inability to complete tasks at work.
• You should then provide your doctor with the occupational description and ask them to prepare a report outlining the objective basis for your diagnosis, your restrictions and limitations, and, most importantly, why you can’t perform some or all of your occupation’s material and substantial duties. This will help bridge the gap between your diagnosis and your functional limitations.

Appealing a Long-Term Disability Denial

But what if you are not approved for benefits? That is where a disability lawyer comes in. A disability lawyer will review your claim, advise you on what you need to do to recover your benefits and any applicable time limits, and if need be, we will represent you in court.

There are no better candidates for this job than the experienced legal team at Ortiz Law Firm. For years, we’ve been helping individuals with various disabilities get the disability benefits they need to navigate life despite their disabilities. Here are a few reasons why you should hire us.

• Experience: Long-term disability is our primary practice area, and we have picked up a few tips and tricks over the years. We know all the tactics insurance companies use to avoid paying for legitimate speech disorder cases. It is like a coach having the opposing team’s playbook: you know what move they will make next and are ready and able to counter it.
• Dedication: Long-term disability attorney Nick Ortiz is dedicated to helping people with disabilities get the justice they deserve. You need a relentless lawyer who will see your case through to the end and fight for you; that is precisely what you get with Ortiz Law Firm. We don’t know the meaning of giving up and will not back down until we have recovered the benefits our clients deserve.
• Impeccable Service and Results: We have excellent reviews and testimonials from previous clients. We have not only recovered millions in disability benefits but have also shown compassion and respect for each claimant we represent. You can see what our clients have to say about our services or browse our case results page for a more detailed explanation of how we have been able to help our past clients. If you like what you see, you’re only one phone call or contact form away from a free consultation.

Social Security Disability Benefits Claims for a Speech Disorder

Speech impairment or loss of speech may also qualify for disability benefits from the Social Security Administration (SSA). Nick Ortiz is a Social Security Disability attorney representing claimants nationwide.

The process to qualify for Social Security Disability and SSI are nearly the same, with the only difference being the non-medical requirements:

• For SSDI, you must have the required work credits for your age.
• For SSI, your assets and resources must not exceed the limits established by the SSA.

The easiest way to qualify for disability from the SSA is to meet the Blue Book listing for your disease. Blue Book listing 2.00 Special Senses and Speech – Adult is used to evaluate claims for speech impairments during the application process. We discuss Blue Book listing 2.00 in more detail here.

Do You Need Help with Your Speech Disorder Disability Claims?

If your long-term disability claim was denied or you need help qualifying for Social Security Disability, Ortiz Law Firm has you covered. If you have any inquiries or want to schedule a free case evaluation with our firm, call (888) 321-8131. The evaluation is always free, and you are not obligated to hire us after we evaluate your case.