 SSDRC Filing a Social Security Disability Application - How to File & the Information that is Needed by SSA Do you need a Lawyer at the Administrative Law Judge Disability Hearing? Social Security Disability Back pay and How Long it Takes to Qualify for it How do you prove your disability case if you have a mental condition? What Can I Do to Improve My Chances of Winning Disability Benefits Common Mistakes after Receiving a Denial of benefits If You Get Approved For SSDI Will You Also Get Medicare? How much is paid for the Social Security Disability Attorney Fee? How long does it take to be approved for SSI or Social Security disability? How To Get Disability Through SSDI or SSI Approved Should you get Help from a Disability Attorney before the Claim has been Denied? Answers to questions about SSD and SSI disability Qualifying for Disability - What is Social Security Looking for? How do I check the status of my Social Security disability claim? What Expenses Will A Social Security Attorney Charge In Addition To The Fee? |
Facts about Endometriosis and Filing for DisabilityHow to prove you are disabled and win disability benefits 1) Endometriosis occurs when the endometrium (the cells that line the wall of the uterine cavity) are misplaced and end up growing in other areas of the body, usually within the pelvic area. The cells are usually found in the pelvic lining, ovaries, bladder, bowel, or the rectum, though they can appear in other places. Sometimes they can spread to the vagina and cervix. 2) Only females can develop endometriosis, usually found during the reproductive years, usually between the ages of 25 and 35. It is estimated that nearly 5 to 10 percent of the United States population of women have endometriosis. 3) Although the uterine cells have moved to other areas of the body with endometriosis, they still respond to hormonal changes, such as menstruation. These cells outside the uterus cause adhesions and scarring that cause pain. 4) Although some women have absolutely no symptoms at all, the most common symptoms are pelvic pain, painful sexual intercourse, pain with menstruation and bowel movements, back pain, and infertility. The pain associated with endometriosis can be mild or extremely severe. 5) Although there is no cure for endometriosis, many women use painkillers, birth control pills, progesterone injections or pills, gonadotropin agonist drugs (they halt the production of estrogen by the ovaries), and some women have surgery to remove the tissues. 6) When women are past their child-bearing age, they may opt for a hysterectomy to help with endometriosis. 7) Although the cause of endometriosis is unknown, many in the medical community believe that estrogens, retrograde menstruation, transplantation, genetics, environmental factors, and weakened immune systems may be potential factors in causing the condition. 8) Doctors can diagnose endometriosis by performing a pelvic laparoscopy, pelvic exam and transvaginal ultrasound. 9) If a woman is considered infertile due to endometriosis, surgery may help. Moderate cases of endometriosis may see a 60 percent increase of pregnancy rates after surgery, mild cases will see about a 75 percent increase, and those with severe cases may only see a 30 or 40 percent pregnancy rate after surgery. Can you qualify for disability benefits with this condition? Whether or not you qualify for disability and, as a result, are approved for disability benefits will depend entirely on the information obtained from your medical records. This includes whatever statements may have been obtained from your treating physician (a doctor who has a history of treating your condition and is, therefore, qualified to comment as to your condition and prognosis). It will also depend on the information obtained from your vocational, or work, history if you are an adult, or academic records if you are a minor-age child. The important thing to keep in mind is that the social security administration does not award benefits based on simply having a condition, but, instead, will base an approval or denial on the extent to which a condition causes functional limitations. Functional limitations can be great enough to make work activity not possible (or, for a child, make it impossible to engage in age-appropriate activities). Why are so many disability cases lost at the disability application and reconsideration appeal levels? Speaking as a former Disability Claims Examiner, I can state that there are several reasons: 1) Social Security makes no attempt to obtain a statement from a claimant's treating physician. By contrast, at the hearing level, a claimant and his or her disability attorney will generally obtain and present this type of statement to a judge; 2) Prior to the hearing level, a claimant will not have the opportunity to explain how their condition limits them, nor will their attorney or representative have the opportunity to make a presentation based on the evidence of the case. At the hearing level, of course, this is exactly what happens. And a number of disability representatives will also take such steps even earlier, at the reconsideration appeal level; 3) Disability judges, unlike disability examiners who decides cases at the first two levels of the system, can make independent decisions without being overturned by immediate supervisors--which happens frequently. 
Return to: SSDRC, or the Questions, Answers, Tips, and Advice page Topics and Questions Other Links SSD and SSI are Federal Programs The title II Social Security Disability and title 16 SSI Disability programs operate under federal guidelines and, therefore, the program requirements--medical and non-medical--apply to all states: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming Recent approval and denial statistics for various states can be viewed here: Social Security Disability, SSI Approval and Denial Statistics by state Special Section: Disability Lawyers and unnecessary claim denials |