Seizure Disorder as a Disability?

Welcome to the Coping With Epilepsy Forums

Welcome to the Coping With Epilepsy forums - a peer support community for folks dealing (directly or indirectly) with seizure disorders. You can visit the forum page to see the list of forum nodes (categories/rooms) for topics.

Please have a look around and if you like what you see, please consider registering an account and joining the discussions. When you register an account and log in, you may enjoy additional benefits including no ads, access to members only (ie. private) forum nodes and more. Registering an account is free - you have nothing to lose!

Lawyer

Not sure if anyone is still here on this forum, but I'm 27 have had grand mal and petit mal seizures since I was 15, I have about 3-4 grand mal seizures a month and petit mal almost daily, filed for disability about 18 months ago, of course got denied then appealed then got denied again, so I obtained a lawyer in the process of the appeal, I have my ALG hearing on November 7th a couple weeks from now, have kept a log of all my grand mal seizures for about a year now, have been on various medicines all don't seem to control it have up to date blood work, even had my doctor write several notes in my file that I'm disabled and my seizures are uncontrollable with medicine. Wish me luck I guess this is a long drawn out process approx 18 months for me with no income, I don't wish this anyone.
 
Good luck Chris! Unfortunately the deny/appeal/deny/appeal routine seems to be a standard part of the disability application process. I hope yours finally goes the right way on the 7th. Keep us posted.
 
I used to have that same line of thought. Like you, my seizures are minor and are controlled by medication. Nowadays, I look at the economy and recession and just take whatever opportunity I can get. If my diagnosed condition gets me some kind of perk or compensation, then I'm taking it.
 
Going to resurrect this thread, my apologies.

I found this thread via Google - I had not been to this website before. First post.

I am encountering a similar dilemma myself - in my pursual of a job out of college. On a day-to-day basis I do not really consider myself disabled. I am very fortunate in that I am able to drive, use computers, etc. and my condition has very little affect on my life. That's when everything is good though - and I am not deluded into thinking that things won't flair up again.

I guess my take on it, is that I know my condition has had some negative influence on my performance in school (relocating during school to cope with inability to drive / commute after a seizure occurred, having a seizure following a high work load / high stress / low sleep week which caused me to miss class, etc.) - having an influence on my GPA and even causing me to have to drop courses (a direct financial burden). If my condition allows a leg up over others my age entering the work force who did not have those things to deal with and thus have potentially better academic records, I feel that is justified. In my case I'm deciding whether to claim Schedule A priority for federal employment - at a position I am very qualified for and can complete without significant impact by my condition.
 
what would happen if stop meds...I understand your delema but as you are still actively treating it I guess you would quailfy
 
Yeah, that's how its phrased on the guidelines I've found online. The disorder should be judged by its affect when untreated. If I was not medicated, I would have partial onset seizures every month or two, rarer for grand mal. I wouldn't be cleared to drive likely.
 
that's your answer then..just to add employers often love e employee's it fills there quota of employed disabled and e unlikely to need any changes in work environment..They use you then you use them
 
Back
Top Bottom