Our Disability Lawyers help people who suffer from Lupus & have been wrongly denied their Long-Term Disability Benefits. Always FREE Consultations, and you NEVER pay upfront.
Lupus represents a collection of autoimmune disorders that manifest in various forms, from minor skin irritations to significant illnesses impacting numerous organs. The symptoms of Lupus often fluctuate, presenting in episodes known as flares. Without appropriate management, Lupus can lead to grave health outcomes – and, in some cases, interfere with a person’s ability to maintain employment due to its unpredictable flares and chronic symptoms such as fatigue, joint pain, and cognitive difficulties.
These symptoms can hinder physical mobility, reduce energy levels, and impair concentration and memory, challenging one’s performance in a work environment. Moreover, the necessity for frequent medical appointments and the potential for hospitalizations can lead to absences from work, affecting job stability and productivity. Given its variable nature, Lupus can necessitate workplace accommodations or, in certain circumstances, lead to an individual requiring reliance on long-term disability benefits.
If you’ve been denied long-term disability benefits for Lupus, you don’t have to go through the Disability Appeals Process. You have the right to hire your own Disability Lawyer for free to fight for you. Don’t do this alone.
If you live with Lupus and have been denied long-term disability benefits, speak to an experienced disability lawyer to discuss your options. Lalande Disability Lawyers have been representing disability claimants for decades and have the experience you need to help overturn your disability benefit denial. Call us today at 1-844-434-7224 for your FREE CONSULTATION, or alternatively, send us a message through our website, and we will be happy to get right back to you. Our scoliosis disability lawyers only get paid – if you get paid.
Lupus encompasses a spectrum of chronic autoimmune diseases affecting various body parts, including joints, skin, lungs, kidneys, and heart. Among its types, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is the most prevalent, exhibiting symptoms ranging from minor rashes to severe conditions affecting multiple organs. The severity and symptoms of Lupus vary significantly among individuals and can evolve, complicating its recognition and diagnosis. Typical symptoms encompass fatigue, pain in muscles and joints, fever, skin lesions, and a butterfly-shaped rash across the face. The exact cause of Lupus remains elusive, but it is believed to be caused by an overly reactive immune system influenced by genetic and environmental factors that cause harm to the body.
The triggers of lupus act as catalysts, igniting the unpredictable and often life-altering flares of this autoimmune disease. Understanding these triggers is crucial, as they can impact the daily lives and long-term health of those with Lupus. From seemingly innocuous exposures to severe stressors, these triggers can set off a cascade of symptoms that can vary in intensity and duration, presenting significant challenges to managing the disease. Identifying and mitigating these triggers becomes a pivotal part of living with Lupus, transforming the approach to treatment and lifestyle adjustments in a quest for stability and improved quality of life. Common triggers include:
Lupus affects individuals differently, producing many symptoms that can impact various body systems. Here’s a detailed look at the common symptoms of Lupus, each described briefly:
These symptoms not only pose challenges to health but can also severely impact an individual’s ability to work and engage in their occupation. Fatigue, joint pain, and cognitive issues can limit physical abilities and mental focus, leading to the need for workplace accommodations or even disability, thereby affecting career paths and financial security – or, in some cases – can, unfortunately, prevent a person from working at all.
Factors beyond genetics that may influence the likelihood of developing Lupus can include:
Lupus can disrupt an individual’s work life due to its varied and unpredictable symptoms. Key symptoms such as fatigue, joint pain, cognitive impairments, and severe organ involvement are just the tip of the iceberg, with each having distinct ways of impacting workplace functionality. Although many symptoms can often be managed with appropriate medical treatment and workplace accommodations, in severe cases, Lupus can progress to a point where maintaining employment becomes untenable – and long-term disability benefits can become one’s only option.
Fatigue is one of Lupus’s most debilitating symptoms, causing an exhaustion that rest cannot alleviate, which may result in decreased productivity and the need for modified work schedules.
Joint pain and stiffness significantly reduce physical mobility and dexterity, complicating tasks that require physical effort or prolonged periods of sitting, necessitating ergonomic adaptations or even part-time work as possible solutions. Joint pain and stiffness can interrupt many physical and non-sedentary occupations.
Cognitive difficulties, or “lupus fog,” affect memory, concentration, and processing speed, making complex tasks and time management challenging. Utilizing reminders and adapting work tasks can help, but severe cases might limit work capacity significantly in both sedentary and non-sedentary positions.
Skin lesions and photosensitivity can lead to discomfort and a need for accommodations to avoid exposure to fluorescent lighting or outdoor work, impacting job roles and tasks.
Major organ involvement—like kidney disease (lupus nephritis), lung inflammation, or heart issues—requires intensive treatment and frequent medical appointments, heavily impacting work attendance and physical stamina.
Mental health challenges, such as anxiety and depression, often accompany Lupus, further complicating the ability to maintain regular employment due to the need for psychological support and potentially impacting workplace interaction and motivation.
Raynaud’s phenomenon can cause discomfort and numbness in the extremities, affecting tasks that involve handling or exposure to cold conditions requiring specific workplace adjustments.
While flexible scheduling, ergonomic workplace settings, and understanding from employers can significantly aid individuals with Lupus, the disease’s unpredictable nature means that for some, these measures may not suffice. The progression of Lupus, especially when it leads to severe organ damage or intense flares, can render an individual unable to meet their job requirements, leading to disability leave or the difficult decision to stop working.
Supportive employment practices and effective lupus management are crucial in helping those affected to stay in the workforce as long as possible. Yet, it’s vital to acknowledge when the severity of Lupus surpasses the ability to work, prioritizing health and well-being.
Yes, you can get long-term disability benefits if the symptoms of Lupus prevent you from engaging in the substantial duties of your own job.
What does this mean? Most disability insurance policies contain an explanation of how an injured person or a claimant can qualify for long-term disability benefits. The main way to qualify is to prove to the disability insurance company that, because of your illness or disability, you are unable to sustain the regular duties of your own occupation.
In order to prove this, you will need detailed medical records that outline your diagnosis, treatment history, and the impact of your condition on your ability to perform the duties of your occupation. This includes notes from your doctor visits, diagnostic test results (e.g., imaging studies, lab tests), and any relevant specialist evaluations.
You will also need a physician’s statement that specifically addresses how your condition impairs your ability to perform the tasks associated with your occupation is critical. This should include a detailed explanation of your physical or mental limitations, how these limitations prevent you from performing your job duties, and why your condition is considered disabling.
It’s not uncommon for long-term disability insurance companies to deny benefits for Lupus. Oftentimes, it is viewed as an “invisible illness” that adjusters cannot see.
As noted above, Lupus can cause flare-ups that are debilitating – but unfortunately, disability insurance companies often only see and understand the times in which a person is “flare-up free.”
These unpredictable flares are periods when the symptoms of Lupus suddenly worsen after a period of being controlled or less active. The nature and severity of the symptoms experienced during a flare can vary significantly from person to person and even from one flare to another in the same individual.
Flare-ups can involve a wide range of symptoms, including but not limited to severe fatigue, joint pain, and swelling, muscle pain, high fever, rashes (especially the butterfly rash over the cheeks and bridge of the nose), increased severity of skin lesions in response to sunlight (photosensitivity), chest pain due to inflammation of the lining around the heart (pericarditis) or lungs (pleuritis), headaches, confusion, or memory loss due to neurological involvement, and kidney inflammation (lupus nephritis), which can affect kidney function.
Also, in our experience, disability insurance adjusters do not properly understand autoimmune disorders. Remember, an autoimmune disorder occurs when the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks its own tissues, perceiving them as foreign invaders. Many adjusters find autoimmune disorders difficult to understand due to their complex nature, a wide range of symptoms that can mimic other conditions, and the fact that they can be invisible to others, fluctuating in severity and manifestation – which – unfortunately, often simply leads to a denial of benefits. These denials are often contrary to the doctor’s advice, often overriding medical opinion, and are made with disregard for the claimant’s overall well-being, safety, and security.
If you suffer from Lupus and have been denied long-term disability, contact us today for a free consultation with our scoliosis disability lawyers. We would be happy to review your case and help you determine the best course of action to get the benefits you need and deserve. The lawyers at Lalande Disability Lawyers have extensive experience in helping individuals with scoliosis receive the compensation they are entitled to. We are here to help you secure the disability benefits that you need and deserve so that you can focus on your health without added financial strain.
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Lupus is an autoimmune disease where the body’s immune system attacks its own tissues and organs, causing inflammation and a wide range of symptoms, such as joint pain, fatigue, and rashes. It can affect various body systems including the joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, brain, heart, and lungs.
Symptoms of lupus can vary widely but often include fatigue, joint pain and swelling, skin rashes (notably a butterfly-shaped rash on the face), and fever. The disease can also affect internal organs, leading to more serious symptoms like kidney problems, chest pain, and neurological issues.
Many people with lupus are able to work, adjusting their schedules and tasks to accommodate their energy levels and medical appointments. However, severe cases of lupus can significantly impair one’s ability to work, necessitating reliance on disability benefits for financial support.
In Ontario, the duration of short-term disability benefits can vary depending on the specific plan provided by an employer or purchased privately. Typically, short-term disability benefits last anywhere from a few weeks to 6 months, with many plans designed to bridge the gap until long-term disability benefits, if necessary, begin.
If your Lupus symptoms prevent are severe enough to prevent you from completing the substantial duties of your own employment, then you will be able to qualify for long-term disability benefits.
The exact cause of lupus is unknown, but it is believed to result from a combination of genetic, environmental, and possibly hormonal factors. Triggers such as sunlight, infections, and certain medications may provoke the disease in individuals who are genetically predisposed. The immune system mistakenly attacks the body’s own tissues, leading to inflammation and the various symptoms associated with lupus.
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