There are several different types of burns that can affect your ability to perform your work duties. They may be due to electrical, chemical or thermal injuries and fall under the heading of soft tissue injuries. The location and severity of these injuries will determine the degree of your impairment and chances for receiving disability benefits.
Depending on their location, these injuries may seriously interfere with motion of your joints and significantly limit the use of all your extremities, one extremity or both upper or lower extremities. Examples are involvement of one or both hands which would reduce your ability to grasp objects or do fine fingering tasks such as picking up small objects and writing. If the lower extremities are involved, your ability to walk may be limited.
Individuals at Social Security will review your doctor’s medical notes and will determine the extent of your medical impairment regarding the use of your hands and ability to walk. An important rule to know is that your medical impairment must last at least 12 months or be expected to last that long. This is important to know since at the start of your problem you may be very disabled regarding the use of your hands or ability to walk, but over time and withn one year you may show improvement and therefore be denied.