Is sleep apnea a disability? The Social Security Administration (SSA) classifies it as a respiratory disorder. So, if your sleep apnea keeps you from working for at least 12 months, then you may qualify for disability benefits. More often, though, it’s easier to get disability benefits for sleep apnea if you also have other related medical conditions.
We’ll explain what the SSA looks for during the disability claim process, how to apply, monthly pay amounts, and more.
What is Sleep Apnea?
Sleep apnea is a disorder that occurs when your breathing becomes shallow or takes a brief pause, which interrupts sleep. This can lead to fatigue, dry mouth, and loud snoring.
Approximately 6 million Americans have a sleep apnea diagnosis from a doctor. However, most medical professionals believe that the number of people who suffer from it is closer to 30 million. And the number of people who have sleep apnea keeps increasing. In 1993, 9% of men and 4% of women had an official diagnosis. But in 2023, those numbers increased to 13% and 5%, respectively. These numbers reflect an increase of 27% in men and 25% in women who can’t sleep well at night without medical treatment.
Risk factors for this sleep disorder include:
- Excess weight or obesity
- Age
- Family history
- Nasal issues (including narrow sinuses and allergies)
- Physical considerations, like a thick neck or large tonsils
- Certain medical conditions, such as high blood pressure and diabetes
Types of Sleep Apnea, Symptoms, and Diagnosis
Central Sleep Apnea (CSA)
Central sleep apnea type occurs when the brain fails to send the right signals to control your breathing. Unlike obstructive sleep apnea, there is no physical blockage happening. Instead, it’s just a lack of communication between different parts of your body.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)
This the most common form of sleep apnea that indicates a blocked airway while you sleep. Your neck or tonsils may be too big, for example. Other factors include your gender, age, and weight.
Complex Sleep Apnea
This a combination of both central and obstructive sleep apnea. Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for obstructive sleep apnea treatment to cause central sleep apnea.
Common Sleep Apnea Symptoms
Symptoms of sleep apnea include:
- Loud snoring
- Pauses in breathing or gasping during sleep
- Morning headaches
- Trouble concentrating
- Cognitive impairment
- Mood swings
- Dry mouth
- Sore throat
- Decreased libido
- Fatigue
- Restless sleep
- Nasal congestion
How to Get a Medical Diagnosis
Sleep apnea requires a sleep study for you to receive an official diagnosis. That study can happen overnight either at home or in a medical facility. The study will monitor your heart rate, blood oxygen levels, brain waves, and breathing while you sleep.
The sleep specialist conducting the study will turn your results into a number called the AHI, or “apnea-hypopnea index.” Doctors then classify AHI scores as mild, moderate, or severe.
How Sleep Apnea Affects Your Daily Life and Work
Sleep apnea can affect your daily life and your work because chronic fatigue affects your ability to function as expected. You might feel sluggish or have mood swings at work, for example. Or you might doze off on the job. Finally, you may start to develop other long term health consequences, like weight gain, high blood pressure, or heart issues.
Is Sleep Apnea a Disability That Qualifies for Social Security Disability Benefits?
While not impossible, it’s also not easy to get Social Security disability for sleep apnea. We say this because in 2022, only 2.7% of all disability recipients qualified with sleep apnea alone.
It’s more common to qualify for disability when you also have another medical condition. For example, it’s very common for sleep apnea sufferers to at least one other potentially severe medical condition, including:
- Asthma or other sleep related breathing disorders
- Low blood oxygen
- PCOS (i.e., polycystic ovarian syndrome)
- Obesity
- Type 2 diabetes
- Other lung diseases or cardiac issues, like heart failure or chronic pulmonary hypertension
When combined, they can help prove that you cannot work full time, and specifically because of your health. This is especially true of obesity, which the SSA considers when assessing your residual functional capacity (RFC). This means if you suffer from more than one medical condition, you have a much higher chance of benefit approval.
How the Social Security Administration Evaluates Your Medical Evidence
The SSA needs to see medical evidence that documents:
- Your sleep apnea diagnosis, including what date the doctor diagnosed you
- Proof that this sleep disorder prevents you from working for at least one year
You will also have to document the severity of your sleep apnea symptoms. To do that, be sure to provide your:
- Medical history
- Doctor’s notes and dates from past appointments
- Test results, especially if you have a recent cardiac catheterization test
- Any medical records you have that show your progress over time with regular treatment
- Any prescribed medical treatment or medications you already tried
- Medical devices you currently use, such as a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine
To qualify for disability for sleep apnea, the SSA will also review something called your forced vital capacity (FVC) results. FVC is a test that measures the amount of air that you can exhale. This test tells medical professionals and the SSA how well your lungs currently function.
In addition, the SSA will look for evidence showing:
- Your FVC test results are equal to or worse than others of the same age, gender, and height as yourself, or
- Proof of chronic gas exchange impairment, or
- Your sleep apnea got worse or more complicated and at least three hospitalization episodes within the last 12 months. You must stay in the hospital for at least 48 hours per episode for them to count as medical evidence. Further, you hospitalization dates must occur at least 30 days apart.
These are difficult standards to meet, so the more medical issues and symptoms you have, the better your chances are.
Related Sleep Disorders and Other Medical Conditions
There’s no shortage of medical conditions related to or exacerbated by sleep apnea. Hypothyroidism is just one example: It can cause sleep apnea. But sleep apnea can make your hypothyroidism worse, too.
Sleep disorders related to sleep apnea include:
- Insomnia (the inability to sleep)
- Parasomnia (sleepwalking, hallucinations, and acting out dreams)
- Restless leg syndrome (an overwhelming urge to move your legs, plus feeling unpleasant sensations in them)
Other medical conditions in addition to those listed above include:
- Chronic heart failure
- Metabolic disorders
- Diabetes
- Heart disease
- Digestive problems
- Chronic kidney disease
- Mental disorders, such as memory problems
- Liver problems
- Pregnancy complications
Other Things That May Help You Qualify for Sleep Apnea Disability Benefits
There are two different federal programs that pay benefits: Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
To technically qualify for SSDI benefits in 2024, you must:
- Not currently receive any other Social Security benefits when you apply, like early or regular retirement.
- Have at least 40 work credits. This means you worked at least 5 in the last 10 years while paying into Social Security.
- Be younger than 67 years old with a medical condition that makes you unable to work for a year or longer.
- Have individual income that is lower than $1,550 per month. If you’re blind, that income limit increases to $2,590 per month.
However, the SSA only looks at your income, not your spouse or roommate’s when reviewing your SSDI claim.
To technically qualify for SSI benefits in 2024, you must:
- Have extremely low income. The individual income limits for SSDI shown above are a good guideline for this.That said, the SSA will count income from everyone in your household towards that total when you apply for SSI.
- Own very few financial resources or assets. For individuals, the limit is $2,000; couples can have up to $3,000 between them both. This includes things like your bank account balances and any valuables you can easily sell for cash.
- Be blind, disabled, or at least 65 years old when you apply. SSI is the only federal disability program that pays benefits to both children and adults.
In addition to Social Security disability for sleep apnea, veterans may qualify for VA disability benefits.
How to Apply for Social Security Disability and Average Pay Amounts
In general, you have 3 ways to apply for either SSDI benefits or SSI payments:
- In person at your local Social Security office.
- Over the phone by calling 1-800-772-1213 Monday through Friday during normal business hours.
- With free help from a local attorney, who can dramatically increase your approval chances the first time you file.
For SSDI claims only, you can also apply online at SSA.gov.
The most you can currently get in SSDI each month is $3,822. However, the average payment is closer to $1,537.
SSI benefits pay a maximum of $943 per individual, or $1415 per couple.
How to Get Free Help Qualifying for Disability Benefits
Your disability for sleep apnea application is far more likely to succeed if a Social Security attorney helps you file. But don’t take our word for it! A recent GAO study found you’re 2.9x more likely to get your first payment within 180 days with an attorney.
Disability lawyers always work on contingency and offer free consultations before taking on new clients. If you’re not awarded benefits, then you pay your lawyer $0. But if you’re successful, then you only pay one small fee after your award goes through.
Want expert Social Security disability help without paying anything out of your own pocket? Sign up for a free phone call from a nearby lawyer who can give you a free case evaluation. It’s the fastest and easiest way to know if applying’s worth your time and effort before you even start.
Ready to find out? Click the button below to start your free online benefits quiz now and see if you may qualify:
Get Your Free Benefits Evaluation
Lisa Allen is a writer and editor who lives in suburban Kansas City. She holds MFAs in Creative Nonfiction and Poetry, both from the Solstice Low-Residency Program in Creative Writing at Pine Manor College. Prior to becoming a writer, Lisa worked as a paralegal, where she specialized in real estate in and around Chicago.
