How to apply for disability after the 2021 changes

Multiple sclerosis as a basis for disability

Very often, MS leads to serious damage to certain areas of the brain and spinal cord. In humans this manifests itself:

• in speech impairment;
• deterioration in coordination of movements;
• numbness of the limbs up to complete loss of motor function;
• problems with mental state and other symptoms that do not allow him to continue working.

Diagnosis of multiple sclerosis

One of the dangerous diseases of the central nervous system is multiple sclerosis, which destroys cells in the brain and spinal cord.

Therefore, in MS at certain stages, one or another disability group is assigned. However, in some cases, the disease may manifest itself in the form of symptoms only periodically, no more than once or twice a year. However, such symptoms can only slightly affect the ability to work.

Thus, the very fact of detection of MS does not necessarily mean the assignment of a disability group. In each individual case, this must be decided by a medical commission by conducting a medical and social examination (MSE). At the same time, in the decision-making process, doctors pay attention primarily to the coordination of the patient’s movements.

In this regard, there are the following criteria for selecting one of the groups:

• III gr. – the presence of mild or moderate impairment of motor function while maintaining ability to work;
• II gr. – the pathological state of the central nervous system has pronounced symptoms;
• I gr. – serious violations lead to severe loss of coordination of movements up to the complete loss of the patient’s motor ability.

Thus, disability requires serious diagnosis, and various forms of MS can become the basis for assigning any of the groups, from the third to the first.

Why is disability necessary?

Multiple sclerosis affects the central nervous system and disrupts its normal functioning. In the future, the organs of vision and hearing are affected, and in the worst cases, the pathology can lead to a decrease in the sensitivity of various limbs or even paralysis .

The above circumstances have the worst impact on a person’s performance as a whole, making self-care and normal performance of daily household duties difficult.

According to statistics, multiple sclerosis affects people of different ages, and most patients with this diagnosis are people from twenty to forty-five years old who have not yet reached retirement age.

Since it becomes difficult for them to work, this category of patients needs a disability group. To obtain it, you must undergo a medical commission, which must attest to the fact of multiple sclerosis. In the future, measures will be taken to assign specific monthly payments and subsidies.

Indications for medical and social examination

To obtain a group of limited work ability, you must pass the Medical Labor Expert Commission (VTEK). It is convened after the patient contacts his therapist or the head physician of the medical institution.

If specialists consider the existing grounds sufficient for the work of VTEC, then the patient’s personal file will be transferred to representatives of the commission to prescribe the tests and studies necessary for this procedure.

A meeting of the commission on the issue of assigning a disability group can take place:

• in the management of VTEK;
• at the home of a patient suffering from MS;
• in the hospital where the patient is being treated.

Nutrition for multiple sclerosis

Proper nutrition for multiple sclerosis significantly affects the patient’s well-being.

In this case, the following factors may be the basis for convening a medical and labor commission:

1. Due to the symptoms of the disease, the patient cannot perform work in accordance with his job responsibilities or there is a forced need to significantly limit the workload.
2. After a person sought medical help and was diagnosed, the prescribed course of treatment did not produce significant results. The patient's condition did not improve. Multiple sclerosis leads to serious pathologies that severely limit the life of the patient.
3. The patient's condition is noticeably deteriorating due to the progressive disease, which has become permanently chronic.
4. Due to the pathology, a person is temporarily disabled for more than 4 months.

It should be noted that the list of these grounds may be subject to correction depending on the patient’s condition and the attending physician’s conclusion about the need for a VTEC meeting or its absence.

FAQ

People who have encountered this disease themselves or observe its progression in a member of their family are wondering how to live on.

Can a person with MS study or work?

Due to the fact that MS is not characterized by a general manifestation, severity and frequency of occurrence, it is difficult to answer this question unambiguously. The ability to perform job duties or attend classes is affected by the degree of disability.

Therapeutic exercises for multiple sclerosis

If a person has group 3 disability, he can continue to lead the lifestyle to which he is accustomed.

During remission, the patient must assess the level of his capabilities in a specific industry:

• physical;
• social;
• cognitive abilities.

This will allow you to move towards the goal not only at this stage, but also in the future.

Should you talk about your illness to your family and friends?

The patient has every right to decide for himself whether to hide the discovered illness or tell his loved ones.

If there are no visible signs, then you don’t have to rush to inform your family.

But when you discover the secret, you will be able to take advantage of the benefits provided. For example, in educational institutions such patients are trained under special programs, can count on individual exams, etc.

How to live further after diagnosis?

If the disease is detected early, treatment will be more effective. It is necessary to take beta interferons, which will help slow down the process of disability and reduce the severity and frequency of exacerbations.

The patient should adapt to the disability (if it is not very pronounced) and continue to live his previous life.

There is no general treatment method. If a serious exacerbation is observed, the doctor will prescribe corticosteroids, methylprednisolone intravenously, with a further transition to prednisolone.

The severity and severity of exacerbation is reduced with certain drugs that were approved for use only recently:

Betaferon and betaseron.

The patient must undergo rehabilitation after an exacerbation.

In case of remissions, maintenance therapy is prescribed, as well as:

• physical exercise (stretching and coordination);
• speech therapy classes;
• physiotherapy.

Which specialists should I contact?

How to live without exacerbations or reduce them to a minimum? It is worth seeing specialists. Multiple sclerosis is the responsibility of a neurologist. Your family doctor will help you and your loved ones learn all the nuances about the course of the disease.

Many also turn to medical institutions for psychological support.

For specific problems that may arise due to the disease, contact:

Will volunteers help if I'm lonely?

Single people can count on support from social assistance workers in managing their household.

There are volunteer movements in the country that will support and help in solving problems.

Such organizations have special literature on multiple sclerosis, which is provided to patients free of charge. You can find the trust numbers and address of such a company on the RS International Portal.

Does MS in older people differ from the disease in young people and children?

MS can debut in a person of any age, but is most often diagnosed in people 25–35 years old, with females being at greater risk. In old age, as in young people, the disease rarely appears.

The course of multiple sclerosis in a two-year-old child is mild, and complications are minimal.

In young people and children (as opposed to older patients), the disease is accompanied by:

The remaining symptoms are general. According to research, if a child gets sick before the age of 16, the course of the disease will be more favorable. But there are cases when, after 20–30 years, such people experience significant disability.

List of studies and analyzes required for medical and social examination

Modern medicine offers several ways to detect MS, but the disease is still not detected in all cases and is considered difficult to diagnose. Not the least role in this is played by the fact that the clinical signs of the disease resemble many other pathologies of the central nervous system.

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That is why the diagnosis of “multiple sclerosis” is made by doctors only after a comprehensive study of the patient’s condition:

1. Foci of damage to nerve cells are identified during an MRI examination of the head and spinal cord.
2. The development of MS can also show the state of the immune system, which is determined through a blood test from a finger and a vein.
3. A lumbar puncture is also performed .
4. Symptoms of MS can be diagnosed by an eye doctor or a doctor who specializes in diseases of the neck, ear, head, nose and throat.
5. A patient with suspected MS is given an injection with the Margulis-Shubladze composition. If the test gives a positive reaction, then the suspected diagnosis can be confirmed. However, doctors never make a final decision without comparing the test results with other studies.

If, after conducting these studies and passing the necessary tests, it is confirmed that the condition of a person with MS gives him the right to be granted a disability group, the experts included in the commission make an affirmative decision. Its details will depend on more specific details.

Optimism and positivity

From his own experience, Alexander Kontsevoy now knows for sure that to restore health, not only effective drug treatment and competent physical education are important, but also positive emotions. A conflict in a team, any injustice, or an offensive word can nullify all the efforts of doctors and their own efforts.

“The main thing is to learn to maintain composure and calm in such cases,” advises Sasha. - There is no need to get upset over little things or get into a meaningless argument. It's not worth it. There is one wise phrase on this score attributed to Churchill: “You will never complete your journey if you stop to throw a stone at every yapping dog.” True, when it comes to honor and dignity, it is difficult to restrain yourself from responding to the offender.

For himself, Sasha remembered one parable in case of negative developments.

— Master, how do you manage to keep up with everything and approach everything with such optimism?

- It's easy! I just don't argue with anyone.

- But this is impossible?!

- Well, it’s impossible, it’s impossible.

Determination of disability group for multiple sclerosis

This procedure is carried out on the basis of regulatory documents regulating the work of VTEK. However, if a patient has MS, doctors often deviate from the general rules of disability, since the peculiarities of the symptomatic manifestations of this disease do not allow them to be followed.

Multiple sclerosis on MRI

Multiple sclerosis is a disease caused by a disruption of the human body's immune system, resulting in the destruction of the myelin sheath of nervous tissue.

When determining a patient’s disability group, members of the medical expert commission must take into account clinical features and take into account the social factor:

1. An important clinical basis for disability in MS is the deterioration of the patient’s condition: more frequent attacks, symptoms that manifest themselves more intensely.
2. The essence of the attacks is studied : how severe the symptoms are during exacerbation, how long this condition lasts and to what extent it improves during periods of remission.
3. Experts take into account the psychological factor: how much the patient underestimates or overestimates his work capabilities.
4. Assignment of a disability to a particular group may depend on the profession, qualifications of the patient and his lifestyle in general.

Based on these criteria, the following forms of disability are determined.

Disability group III

It is assigned if the following factors are present:

• the disease has developed into the second degree of severity;
• due to persistent deterioration of the condition and severe symptoms, the patient is unable to perform his work and must change his occupation;
• the person has a noticeable decrease in mobility.

Disability group II

This form is assigned after:

• transition of MS to the third degree of severity;
• development of the disease into the stem form;
• progressive pathological condition;
• loss of ability to work, with the exception of performing short and simple work;
• disturbances in motor activity and orientation in space.

Disability group I

The most severe degree is assigned if the patient cannot live without assistance. At this stage of the disease, partial or complete paralysis may occur.

Often patients go blind, and their digestive organs are disrupted. Mental deviations are also quite possible, up to the most severe pathologies associated with the destruction of a person’s personality.

It is known that disabled people of all groups, with a few exceptions, must annually confirm their status. In practice, persons who have group I due to the last stage of MS, after a five-year observation period, no longer undergo re-examination and the benefits they are entitled to are secured for life.

Contraindicated work and necessary working conditions

Patients with MS, even at the very initial stages of the pathology, can no longer perform certain types of work, otherwise this could significantly affect their health. In general, the more severe a person's disease, the greater these restrictions will be.

General contraindications include:

• mental or physical stress, night shifts and overtime work;
• strong anxiety and work under constant stress;
• professions related to the impact of vibration on humans;
• working with toxic substances;
• exposure to sunlight and overheating of the body.

Living with Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis implies chronic changes in the myelin sheath of the brain pathways, and it occurs under the influence of external factors on an organism genetically predisposed to this.

In the future, as the disease progresses, those that require:

• constantly on your feet;
• lifting weights;
• strong concentration ;
• strain ;
• strict coordination of movements and maintaining a certain rhythm.

A patient with MS must create the following working conditions:

1. The number of work duties associated with the need to travel on foot should be limited
2. The employer needs to organize the workplace of a person with MS in such a way that it is easy for him to get to it by transport.
3. psychological is extremely important so that a sick employee does not experience unnecessary stress.
4. A mandatory condition for maintaining the ability to work with MS is to provide him with a break and exemption from overtime work.
5. Persons diagnosed with the disease are predisposed to quiet sedentary work and mental work.

Protection of the labor rights of people with disabilities

Many people with early stages of MS voluntarily give up disability because they are afraid of losing their jobs or believe that they will not be able to get a new job with disabilities. As a result, the condition of patients quickly deteriorates and reaches the final stages of MS, at which the patient is no longer physically able to work.

That is why everyone who is faced with this problem should be aware of the legal protection measures for people with disabilities during employment:

1. According to Russian legislation, each employer is obliged to allocate a certain quota of jobs for people with disabilities.
2. Moreover, if an applicant with disabilities is hired beyond this quota, he cannot be refused only because of his health condition, if it does not interfere with the performance of duties and does not create a threat to other employees.
3. Dismissal of a disabled person without reason or denial of employment can be appealed in court.

If all restrictions are observed under conditions of constant supportive therapy, a person with multiple sclerosis can maintain his or her work activity for a long time. And if his condition worsens, assignment to one of the disability groups will provide him with the social guarantees and benefits necessary for his life, as well as pension provision.

Diseases for group III

It can be difficult to distinguish healthy people from group III disabled people based on external signs. Citizens with this group have the right to work, since the rate of loss of function is 40-60%.

Diseases for assignment to disability group III include:

• incipient cancer;
• absence of one eye;
• ptosis of one eye (permanent, persisting after treatment);
• bilateral deafness;
• jaw defects in the absence of the ability to chew;
• facial defects that can only be corrected through surgery;
• defects of the skull bones;
• paralysis of the hand or one of the limbs, causing muscle wasting;
• the presence of a foreign object in the brain after injury;
• installation of a foreign body in the heart area (pacemaker, artificial valve);
• amputation of the hand, one or more fingers;
• one kidney or lung.