Can You Get Social Security Disability for Thyroid Disease or Other Endocrine Disorders?

Hormonal imbalances from endocrine disorders can significantly disrupt your daily life. These disorders affect major glands like the thyroid, pituitary, parathyroid, adrenal, and pancreas. The symptoms can become so debilitating that they may prevent you from working effectively.

Many Nevada residents ask our firm if hypothyroidism or other thyroid conditions qualify for disability benefits. The answer depends on how severely your symptoms impact your ability to work. The Social Security Administration (SSA) evaluates how thyroid disorders affect other body systems, considering symptoms like fatigue, depression, muscle pain, and cognitive difficulties that substantially limit your daily activities.

Navigating the disability benefits process for thyroid conditions can seem overwhelming. This guide explains how the SSA reviews endocrine disorders under Listing 9.00, which thyroid conditions might qualify for disability benefits, and how the SSA’s five-step evaluation process applies to your specific situation.

If you or someone you know needs to file a disability claim, our firm can help. Harris Disability Law has helped many Nevada residents complete their disability applications, appeal denied claims, and secure the benefits they deserve. Our representatives understand the complex process of documenting thyroid disorders and can guide you through every step of the Social Security disability system. Contact us today for a free consultation to discuss your specific situation and learn how we can assist with your claim.

How Social Security Evaluates Endocrine Disorders

The Social Security Administration (SSA) approaches endocrine disorders differently than other medical conditions. Understanding this evaluation process is essential if you’re seeking disability benefits for thyroid disease in Nevada.

SSA Listing 9.00 and What It Covers

The SSA’s Blue Book Listing 9.00 defines endocrine disorders as medical conditions that cause hormonal imbalance. These imbalances occur when glands produce too much hormone (hyperfunction) or too little (hypofunction). This can affect the pituitary, thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal, and pancreas.

The SSA made a significant change in 2011 by removing specific endocrine disorder listings from the Blue Book. Medical research showed these listings no longer effectively identified people with disabilities. Instead, the SSA now evaluates how these conditions impact other body systems rather than simply considering the diagnosis itself. This change requires a more comprehensive approach to documenting your symptoms and limitations.

Many Nevada residents ask, “Can you get disability for hypothyroidism?” The answer depends on how significantly your thyroid condition disrupts your body systems and your ability to maintain employment. For more information about the Social Security appeal and evaluation process, visit our detailed guide.

The SSA assesses thyroid disorders based on how they impact other body systems. For instance:

• Changes in blood pressure and heart rate that cause arrhythmias fall under cardiovascular listings (4.00)
• Weight loss related to thyroid problems gets assessed under digestive system listings (5.00)
• Mental issues like cognitive limitations, mood disorders, and anxiety from thyroid problems fall under mental disorder listings (12.00)

If your endocrine disorder doesn’t meet criteria in other body systems, the SSA reviews your residual functional capacity (RFC). This assessment shows what you can still do despite your limitations and helps determine if you can perform your past work or any other suitable employment based on your age, education, and work experience.

Thyroid patients typically experience multiple symptoms that affect different body systems simultaneously. These symptoms often create more significant functional limitations when considered together than when evaluated separately.

Thyroid Conditions That May Qualify for Disability

There are numerous thyroid conditions that may qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

Is Hypothyroidism a Disability?

Most people with hypothyroidism don’t qualify for disability benefits because thyroid replacement therapy typically works effectively within a few months. However, patients with untreated or treatment-resistant hypothyroidism might develop complications that meet disability criteria.

Your hypothyroidism could qualify you for benefits if it leads to serious complications in your cardiovascular system, cognitive function, or other body systems. Even with treatment, symptoms like fatigue, depression, and poor concentration might prevent you from working reliably. These cases could qualify through a Residual Functional Capacity (RFC) assessment.

Does Graves’ Disease Qualify for Disability?

Although Graves’ disease lacks its own disability listing, some patients still qualify for benefits. This common cause of hyperthyroidism affects multiple body systems. For example, Graves’ disease patients with arrhythmias might qualify under listing 4.05 if they experience near-syncope despite treatment.

Additionally, symptoms like hand tremors, anxiety, heat sensitivity, and cognitive problems can substantially limit your work capacity. An RFC assessment might establish that you cannot maintain full-time employment due to these combined limitations.

Is Hashimoto’s a Disability?

Hashimoto’s disease, which causes most hypothyroidism cases in North America, isn’t listed as a specific disability.

The autoimmune nature of Hashimoto’s means it sometimes equals other autoimmune listings in section 14.00. Medical experts might determine your condition equals listing 14.02 (systemic lupus erythematosus) if it affects multiple body systems and creates marked limitations in daily activities.

Is Thyroid Cancer a Disability?

Thyroid cancer has a specific listing (13.09). You can qualify if you have:

• Anaplastic (undifferentiated) carcinoma, or
• Carcinoma with metastases beyond regional lymph nodes that progresses despite treatment, or
• Medullary carcinoma with metastases beyond regional lymph nodes

How Symptoms and Complications Are Evaluated

Regardless of what thyroid condition you have or how it affects different body systems, your condition must meet the Social Security Administration’s definition of disability to qualify for benefits. This means:

1. Your condition must be severe enough to significantly limit your ability to perform basic work activities
2. Your condition must have lasted or be expected to last at least 12 months or result in death
3. Your condition must prevent you from performing substantial gainful activity (SGA), which means being unable to earn more than $1,620 per month (in 2025)

The SSA will evaluate how your symptoms affect your ability to work rather than simply considering your diagnosis.

What Happens If You Don’t Meet a Listing

Even if your thyroid condition doesn’t match Social Security’s medical listings, you still have a chance to receive disability benefits through a “medical-vocational allowance.”

Residual Functional Capacity (RFC) documents what activities you can still perform despite your medical condition. The SSA creates this assessment by analyzing your medical records, physician opinions, and your reported symptoms. Your RFC will indicate if you can work at five levels: sedentary, light, medium, heavy, or very heavy.

Your RFC might note these limitations with thyroid issues:

• You can’t sustain concentration because of brain fog
• Your fatigue limits physical activity
• You need additional breaks due to thyroid-related symptoms

The RFC helps the SSA understand how your medical condition affects your ability to work in real-world conditions. For information about maintaining benefits while working, visit our page on Social Security while working in Nevada.

What to Expect During the SSA Evaluation Process

The SSA uses a structured 5-step sequence to evaluate disability claims for thyroid conditions:

1. Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) – They first check if you’re currently employed. Your claim will be denied if you earn more than the SGA limit ($1,620/month in 2025), regardless of your medical condition’s severity.
2. Severity Assessment – They evaluate whether your thyroid condition significantly limits basic work activities and has lasted (or will last) at least 12 months.
3. Medical Listings Review – SSA determines if your condition matches or equals a listing’s severity. Thyroid disorders are evaluated based on their impact on other body systems.
4. Past Work Capability – If your condition doesn’t meet a listing, SSA examines your RFC to determine if you can perform your previous work.
5. Other Work Adjustment – They consider whether you can adapt to other jobs based on your age, education, and work experience.

Have a Disability Claim? Our Firm Can Help

Obtaining disability benefits for a thyroid condition requires thorough documentation that clearly demonstrates how your symptoms affect different body systems and your capacity to work.

Your claim won’t automatically be denied if you don’t meet a specific medical listing. The SSA uses a comprehensive five-step process to evaluate your work capacity through an RFC assessment, considering factors like age, education, and work history. The combined impact of thyroid symptoms often creates limitations that qualify you for benefits, even when individual symptoms alone might not be sufficient.

The disability application process can seem daunting, but understanding how the SSA evaluates thyroid conditions significantly improves your approval chances. Our firm offers free consultations if you need assistance with filing a disability claim or appealing a denial. We’ve handled numerous disability cases throughout Nevada and know how to build strong claims that clearly demonstrate how your condition affects your ability to maintain employment.

Contact our team today for a free consultation.

Frequently Asked Questions