Just requiring Prednisone does not automatically qualify someone as being disabled. The use of steroids is not 'critical' in the approval process......hospitalizations or ER trips for IV broncodialators/antibx or frequent respiratory treatments (every 4 hours) To meet the 'blue book' standard, one would require hospitalizations or ER trips at least 6 times a year.
Oral steroids can cause significant side effects. The thing is, some people can start on Prednisone and return to work or school with no significant problems. Granny, you'll have to prove that the side effects were disabling.
Obviously, many people can be severely disabled by their asthma and still not meet that requirement.........they just fall into the gray area of proving their condition is disabling. Granny, it's great the your doc is fully onboard and feels that you should qualify on the asthma alone. Back issues can be tricky unless you have one of the specific 'blue book' issues. I have neck issues (cervical radiculopathy, TOS, RSD) which all fall in the gray area......although, thankfully, I was finally accepted.
Something to consider is that SSA does look at the cummulative effects of all of your conditions. Even if your back isn't bad enough to call disabling (according to SSA's strict rules), when it's combined with your asthma (even if that wouldn't be enough on it's own) it might be enough to tip the scales in your favor.
Best of luck with this.
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From ssa.gov:
http://www.ssa.gov/disability/profes...#3.03%20Asthma
3.03 Asthma. With:
A. Chronic asthmatic bronchitis. Evaluate under the criteria for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in 3.02A;
or
B. Attacks (as defined in 3.00C), in spite of prescribed treatment and requiring physician intervention, occurring at least once every 2 months or at least six times a year. Each in-patient hospitalization for longer than 24 hours for control of asthma counts as two attacks, and an evaluation period of at least 12 consecutive months must be used to determine the frequency of attacks
C. Episodic respiratory disease. When a respiratory impairment is episodic in nature, as can occur with exacerbations of asthma, cystic fibrosis, bronchiectasis, or chronic asthmatic bronchitis, the frequency and intensity of episodes that occur despite prescribed treatment are often the major criteria for determining the level of impairment.
Documentation for these exacerbations should include available hospital, emergency facility and/or physician records indicating the dates of treatment; clinical and laboratory findings on presentation, such as the results of spirometry and arterial blood gas studies (ABGS); the treatment administered; the time period required for treatment; and the clinical response.
Attacks of asthma, episodes of bronchitis or pneumonia or hemoptysis (more than blood-streaked sputum), or respiratory failure as referred to in paragraph B of 3.03, 3.04, and 3.07, are defined as prolonged symptomatic episodes lasting one or more days and requiring intensive treatment, such as intravenous bronchodilator or antibiotic administration or prolonged inhalational bronchodilator therapy in a hospital, emergency room or equivalent setting.
Hospital admissions are defined as inpatient hospitalizations for longer than 24 hours. The medical evidence must also include information documenting adherence to a prescribed regimen of treatment as well as a description of physical signs. For asthma, the medical evidence should include spirometric results obtained between attacks that document the presence of baseline airflow obstruction