How overweight do you have to be to get disability?
To be considered medically obese, your BMI must be 30 or higher. Obesity is linked to a number of other serious health conditions. The Social Security Administration (SSA) determines if you are eligible for disability benefits by reviewing your medical history.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) defines obesity as a chronic and complex disease that is characterized by excessive accumulation of body fat. Obese adults are those with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 and over. Morbidly obese adults have a BMI of 40 or more. (Overweight adults have a BMI of 25-29.9.)
In the medical community, obesity is defined as a BMI of 30.0 or higher. No specific weight or BMI establishes obesity as a severe impairment within the disability program.
Without evidence of an underlying physiological disorder or condition, extreme obesity is not an impairment under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), according to the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
If you are obese or morbidly obese, that alone won't qualify you for disability benefits. You must show your obesity leads to conditions in the SSA's special set of rules or that because of your obesity, you're unable to work. Social Security's rule recognize many conditions are affected by obesity, like: Heart disease.
Instead, the court held that an individual's weight is generally a physical characteristic, not a physical impairment. Obesity qualifies as a physical impairment only if the individual's body weight falls outside the normal range and occurs as a result of another physiological disorder.
The SSA Quick Calculator
The calculator best suited to disability applicants is the Quick Calculator (found here), which provides a ballpark estimate of your benefits by retirement age, given your current earnings.
Impairment in a person's body structure or function, or mental functioning; examples of impairments include loss of a limb, loss of vision or memory loss. Activity limitation, such as difficulty seeing, hearing, walking, or problem solving.
You cannot do work and engage in substantial gainful activity (SGA) because of your medical condition. You cannot do work you did previously or adjust to other work because of your medical condition. Your condition has lasted or is expected to last for at least 1 year or to result in death.
Anxiety disorders such as obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorders, phobias or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are considered disabilities by the Social Security Administration (SSA) and qualifies someone for Social Security disability benefits.
Is diabetes considered a disability?
Is Diabetes a Disability? Yes. People with diabetes of all types are protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act as people with disabilities. This includes access to school, public places, the workplace and some benefits such as Social Security and disability insurance.
If symptoms of anxiety or depression prevent you from working a full-time job, you may be eligible for social security disability benefits.

Adult Body Mass Index
If your BMI is less than 18.5, it falls within the underweight range. If your BMI is 18.5 to <25, it falls within the healthy weight range. If your BMI is 25.0 to <30, it falls within the overweight range. If your BMI is 30.0 or higher, it falls within the obesity range.
Disability and Health
40.5 percent of adults with a disability are obese while 28.9 percent of adults without a disability are obese.
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