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If you are dealing with radiculopathy and struggling to keep up with sitting, standing, or using your hands consistently throughout the workday, the issue is usually not the diagnosis itself—it is whether your symptoms prevent you from sustaining your job on a full-time basis.

Radiculopathy claims are often denied even when imaging confirms nerve compression. Insurers frequently argue that a claimant can perform sedentary work, without fully accounting for pain, positional limitations, or the inability to maintain activity over time.

This page explains when radiculopathy can qualify for long term disability benefits, what evidence matters most, and why these claims are often challenged.

Spinal stenosis is common, especially as people get older. Because of that, insurance companies often scrutinize these claims closely. An insurer may argue that spinal stenosis is a normal age-related finding, that many people have similar MRI results, or that the condition should not prevent someone from working.

For a long term disability claim, the issue is usually not simply whether imaging shows spinal stenosis. The more important issue is whether the condition causes symptoms and functional limitations that prevent the person from performing the material duties of the occupation on a reliable, full-time basis.

That distinction matters. A person may be able to sit through dinner, drive short distances, or walk around the house, but still be unable to commute, sit through a full workday, attend long meetings, travel, or maintain focus while dealing with pain, numbness, weakness, or medication side effects.

Back problems are one of the most frequent reasons that people seek to file a disability claim. For those with degenerative disc disease, you already know how debilitating the pain can be – oftentimes to the point of being unable to work.

If you find that you are unable to continue working due to degenerative disc disease, you may be considering filing for long term disability. However, a simple claim of back pain alone won’t be sufficient basis for a claim with your insurance company.

Below we’ll outline what is needed when filing for long term disability for degenerative disc disease.