Diabetes is widely recognized as one of the leading causes of death and disability in the United States. About 18.2 million people have diabetes and for many it is a disabling disease. The public health impact of diabetes can be evaluated from a number of perspectives one of which is the morbidity associated with the disease. Diabetes causes a wide array of disabling symptoms including blurred vision, weakness, fatigue, pain and numbness among others.

Disability affects large numbers of persons with diabetes with estimates ranging from twenty to fifty percent of the diabetic population. Disability in persons with diabetes is influenced by a number of demographic and diabetes related factors. Impairments reported by diabetic person increase with age. In addition, the consequences of disability in the diabetes population are extensive.

Diabetes is likely to be associated with disability through a number of processes. For instance, a sense of uncertainty about the future is evident in some persons at the onset of the disease and throughout life. The most common scenario is that impairments, limitations and disabilities will result from the development and progression of the chronic complications of diabetes. Disability, thus, affect the lives of persons with diabetes in many different ways. A lower proportion of disabled persons with insulin dependent diabetes mellitus are in the workforce; those who are employed have higher absenteeism rates than workers with disabilities. Further, with higher degree of unemployment and absenteeism, there is concern that persons with diabetes may face discrimination in the workplace.

Diabetes is also a disease that can be controlled and if you want one of the best disability insurance policies in the marketplace today, you need to be able to show the insurance company that you have excellent control of the disease. There are several different disability benefit programs that may provide coverage. This include Social Security Disability, available through the federal government for disabled workers, long term disability run by private insurance companies and often a benefit of employment and federal disability retirement for federal government employees. Each of these programs has its own regulations, definitions and time limits.

Disability benefit claims can be complex and involve unfriendly bureaucracies, lots of paperwork and legal and medical issues. Thus, if you suffer symptoms of diabetes so severe that it significantly limits your ability to work and you want to apply for disability benefits or you have been denied disability benefits, consulting an attorney can be a great help.