Popular attitudes concerning obesity tend to be laden with assumptions about the obese person's life-style and eating habits.

Medical science recognizes obesity may stem from various causes not always subject to the obese person's conscious control. Social Security recognizes that under certain circumstances obesity may be disabling and the obese person may be entitled to disability benefits.

"Obesity" is a category of disability specifically listed in the Social Security regulations. It is one of the "Listings."

To qualify for disability for obesity, the first condition is body weight equal to or greater than those listed on the accompanying height/weight tables for Men (Table 1) and for Women (Table II). The weights represented are 100% above "desired level."

In addition to meeting or exceeding the minimum weight listed, the Social Security applicant must have one of the following conditions:

A. A history of pain and limitation of motion in any weight-bearing joint (hip, knee or ankle) or the lumbosacral spine (on physical examination) associated with findings on medically accepted imaging techniques of arthritis in the affected joint or lumbosacral spine; or

B. Hypertension with diastolic blood pressure persistently in excess of 100 mm. Hg measured with appropriate sized cuff; or

C. History of congestive heart failure manifested by past evidence of vascular congestion such as hepatomegaly, peripheral or pulmonary edema; or

D. Chronic venous insufficiency with superficial varicosities in a lower extremity with pain on weight bearing and persistent edema; or

E. Respiratory disease with chronic forced vital capacity equal to or less than 2.0 L. or a level of hypoxemia at rest equal to or less than the values specified in Table III-A, Table III-B or Table III-C.

Do you have an obese patient who has difficulty functioning? If your patient's weight meets or exceeds the minimum weight shown on the tables for his/her height, testing for the other conditions will help you determine whether your patient is entitled to Social Security disability benefits. Medical records addressing these issues specifically will probably help your patient avoid a lengthy appeals process.