Only if your apnea has caused serious complications such as heart problems are you likely to get disability for sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a fairly common condition where a person stops breathing briefly while sleeping.
Research has indicated that untreated sleep apnea can shorten a person's life expectancy by several years, and according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, untreated sleep apnea increases your risk of death by 17% through the short-term and long-term health issues associated with untreated sleep apnea.
SSDI benefits are for those who can no longer work due to a severe medical condition like sleep apnea or obesity. The amount of money you receive from SSDI benefits is based on the taxes you paid during your working years. To qualify for SSDI, you must have earned enough “work credits.”
Some people with severe obstructive sleep apnoea are likely to be classified as having a disability and are covered by the Equality Act 2010 if their condition has had a substantial adverse impact on normal day-to-day activities for over 12 months or is likely to do so.
50%: A 50% disability rating is assigned for sleep apnea when the veteran requires the use of a breathing assistance device such as a CPAP machine. With a 50% rating, the veteran will be entitled to partial disability payments (in 2023, $1,041.82/month) and other benefits, including broader healthcare coverage.
The AHI measures the number of breathing pauses that you experience per hour that you sleep. Obstructive sleep apnea is classified by severity: Severe obstructive sleep apnea means that your AHI is greater than 30 (more than 30 episodes per hour) Moderate obstructive sleep apnea means that your AHI is between 15 and 30.
A sleep disorder such as obstructive sleep apnea can impact your daily activities including work. However, disability laws in the US mean you don't have to conceal your diagnosis. Through consultations with your sleep specialist, your employer may be able to make accommodations at work for your sleep disorder.
Sleep Apnea and Long-Term Disability Benefits
Some individuals with sleep apnea may qualify for long-term disability benefits due to a reduced Residual Functional Capacity (RFC). You can quantify your RFC for the insurance company by asking your doctor to fill out an Attending Physician Statement (APS) or RFC form.
Limit the use of alcohol and medicine – Drinking alcohol or taking certain medicines, especially sleeping pills, opioids or sedatives before sleep can make symptoms worse. Get plenty of sleep – Apnea episodes may be more frequent when you aren't prioritizing or making enough time in your routine for sleep.
Obstructive sleep apnea treatment
Research (Link is external) (Link opens in new window) shows that treating OSA with CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) for just 12 months can almost entirely reverse damage done to white matter.
People with obstructive sleep apnea have a peak in sudden death from cardiac causes during the sleeping hours, which contrasts strikingly with the nadir of sudden death from cardiac causes during this period in people without obstructive sleep apnea and in the general population.
CPAP VA Rating. Veterans diagnosed with service-connected sleep apnea and who require the use of a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machine are generally assigned a 50% disability rating.
Sleep apnea is a potentially serious sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts. If you snore loudly and feel tired even after a full night's sleep, you might have sleep apnea.
Veterans can prove service connection by showing that their sleep apnea began in service using service medical records, or by providing an opinion from a medical professional that shows a “nexus,” or a link, between their current diagnosis and signs or symptoms experienced in service.
The VA rates sleep apnea on a range of 0% for a documented sleep disorder that is asymptomatic, 30% for persistent day-time sleepiness, 50% with the required use of a breathing device such as a CPAP machine, or 100% with chronic respiratory failure with carbon dioxide retention or cor pulmonale (abnormal enlargement of ...
Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is intended to act as a contribution towards the extra costs that arise from needs related to a long-term health condition or disability.
While there is no cure for sleep apnea, studies show that certain lifestyle factors can reverse or make your sleep apnea less intense. Other treatment or surgical options can also reverse the condition. Sleep apnea happens when your upper airway muscles relax while you sleep. This causes you to not get enough air.
Sleep apnea may be associated with job loss, thus limiting the ability to acquire and retain employment. In addition to loss of earnings, the personal costs of job loss may include poor mental and physical health, adverse family effects, higher rates of alcoholism and drug abuse, and premature death 14,36.
Sleep apnea disrupts how your body takes in oxygen, which makes it hard for your brain to control how blood flows in your arteries and the brain itself. 3. Heart failure. If you have OSA, you could also get what's called pulmonary hypertension or right-sided heart failure (RHF).
The FMLA also protects your job and health insurance while on leave. To be eligible for FMLA leave for sleep apnea, you must meet certain criteria: You must work for a covered (public or private) employer with 50 or more employees within 75 miles of your worksite.
Sleep apnea without treatment does not directly shorten life expectancy. However, it does increase the likelihood that patients will develop life-threatening health conditions that result in shortened life expectancy.
You're Always Tired
If you're getting a full night of sleep but still feel tired all day, apnea might be affecting the quality of your sleep. You might nod off when reading or in front of the TV. You might be more irritable, less productive and make more mistakes at work.