Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) can qualify as a disability, but it doesn’t have automatic disability status in any major system. Whether you receive disability benefits depends on how severely HS limits your ability to work, move, and handle daily tasks. In the U.S., both Social Security disability and VA disability programs recognize HS, though neither gives it a dedicated, straightforward listing. In the UK, HS can qualify you for Personal Independence Payment if the condition significantly affects your daily life for 12 months or more.
Why HS Can Be Disabling
HS causes recurring, painful nodules and abscesses that typically form in areas where skin rubs together: the armpits, groin, buttocks, and under the breasts. In its mildest form (Hurley stage I), flares come and go with isolated lumps. In moderate cases (stage II), connected tunnels form beneath the skin. At its most severe (stage III), networks of tunnels and scarring spread across large areas, often draining foul-smelling fluid continuously.
The functional impact can be profound. Research on patients with HS has documented significant interference with mobility, self-care, and the ability to carry out normal daily activities. One patient described being unable to lift their arms for a year and a half, needing someone else to dress them. Another described pain so intense they could only sit rocking back and forth. Beyond the physical symptoms, HS frequently disrupts sleep, leads to social isolation, and causes missed work. A European multicenter study found that people with HS showed a high risk of impairment across mobility, self-care, and usual activities.
Social Security Disability for HS
The Social Security Administration (SSA) does not have an active listing specifically for HS. Listing 8.06, which was once designated for the condition under the skin disorders section, is currently marked as “Reserved,” meaning it contains no medical criteria. This doesn’t mean you can’t get approved. It means there’s no automatic checklist where meeting certain HS symptoms guarantees approval.
Instead, the SSA evaluates HS claims by looking at your “residual functional capacity,” which is essentially what you can still do despite your condition. To build this picture, the agency reviews your medical history, clinical findings, lab results, diagnosis, treatments you’ve tried and how well they worked, and a doctor’s statement about your physical abilities: how long you can sit, stand, or walk, whether you can lift and carry objects, and how your symptoms affect daily functioning.
The SSA also investigates the effects of symptoms like pain and fatigue, including your daily activities, how often flares occur, how intense the pain gets, what triggers it, what medications you take and their side effects, and any other measures you use for relief. Documentation must come from recognized medical professionals to establish that the impairment exists, but once that’s confirmed, non-medical evidence (like descriptions of your daily limitations) also factors in.
Practically, this means getting approved for Social Security disability with HS requires thorough documentation showing that your condition prevents you from maintaining employment. Claims built on detailed medical records, treatment history showing you’ve tried and failed multiple therapies, and clear descriptions of functional limitations tend to be strongest.
VA Disability Ratings for HS
The Department of Veterans Affairs rates HS under existing skin condition codes rather than giving it its own diagnostic category. Typically, HS is rated under the code for dermatitis and eczema (Diagnostic Code 7806), which assigns disability percentages based on two factors: how much of your body is affected, and what kind of treatment you need.
- 10% rating: 5% to 20% of your body or exposed skin is affected, or you’ve needed intermittent systemic therapy (like corticosteroids or immune-suppressing drugs) for less than six weeks in the past year.
- 30% rating: 20% to 40% of your body or exposed areas are affected, or you’ve needed systemic therapy for six weeks or more but not constantly.
- 60% rating: More than 40% of your body or exposed areas are affected, or you’ve needed constant or near-constant systemic therapy over the past year.
HS can also be rated based on scarring if the scars themselves cause functional limitations or disfigurement. Veterans with HS in multiple body areas, or whose scarring restricts joint movement, may receive higher combined ratings.
UK Disability Benefits for HS
In the UK, HS doesn’t need a specific diagnosis code to qualify for Personal Independence Payment (PIP). PIP is based on how a condition affects you, not what the condition is called. You’re eligible if you’re 16 or older, have a long-term physical health condition that makes everyday tasks or getting around difficult, and expect those difficulties to last at least 12 months. You’ll need to have lived in England, Scotland, or Wales for at least two of the last three years.
PIP assessments score you on specific activities like preparing food, washing, dressing, managing medications, and moving around. HS that causes chronic pain in the groin or armpits, limits your arm movement, makes sitting painful, or requires frequent wound care can score points across several of these categories.
Workplace Protections and Accommodations
Even if you don’t pursue disability benefits, HS may entitle you to workplace accommodations. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, a condition qualifies as a disability if it substantially limits a major life activity, and severe HS clearly meets that threshold for many people.
The Job Accommodation Network, a resource funded by the U.S. Department of Labor, lists several accommodation strategies relevant to HS. For pain management, options include flexible scheduling, remote work, frequent breaks, and reducing physical exertion. For skin-related symptoms, accommodations can include modified dress codes (exemption from uniforms that irritate affected areas), odor control measures, access to private restrooms for wound care, and job restructuring to limit activities that trigger flares. Temperature sensitivity accommodations, like individual climate control at your workstation or working from home during extreme weather, can also help since heat and sweating worsen HS for many people.
You don’t need to disclose your specific diagnosis to request accommodations. You do need documentation from a healthcare provider confirming that you have a condition requiring adjustments, along with a description of your functional limitations.
Building a Strong Disability Claim
Regardless of which system you’re applying through, the strength of an HS disability claim comes down to documentation. Photographs of active flares, drainage, and scarring over time provide visual evidence that written notes alone can’t convey. Consistent medical records showing ongoing treatment, including surgeries, antibiotics, biologics, and wound care, demonstrate that you’ve pursued treatment without adequate relief.
A detailed statement from your dermatologist or surgeon about your specific functional limitations carries significant weight. This should go beyond listing your diagnosis and describe concretely what you cannot do: whether you can raise your arms overhead, sit for extended periods, walk without pain, or grip objects. Records of missed workdays, short-term disability claims, or reduced hours add supporting context. Keep a symptom diary noting flare frequency, pain levels, drainage episodes, and how each flare affects your ability to work and care for yourself. This kind of granular, day-to-day evidence fills the gaps between medical appointments and gives decision-makers a realistic picture of living with HS.