I was married to a Md. who works for disability and have seen and heard a lot from his perspective.
First off, the whole thing is like a big "cook book" that spells out just what you have to have ( or lack ) to qualify.
In the case of limbs or spine,etc.. it spells out the exact amount of loss of flexibilty or movement to the degree!
Also, while you may not be able to do your former job but are judged still capable of doing a desk job or something, you won't qualify!
Another unfortunate thing is that basically, the more education you have, the less chance you have of getting help!
Changing the subject a little, I had FSR at JHU in Jan. of '06. I guess I just had bad luck because I have had a big hearing loss on the AN side and now have major balance problems that I didn't have before. I was a foreign language teacher and I know that there is no way that I could go back into the classroom. Fortunately, I retired about the time I was dx'd. Imagine, if I were to have applied for ssd, there is a very big chance that my ex would get my case! :-{
just my 2cents
Susi
