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Facts about IC, Interstitial Cystitis and Filing for DisabilityHow to prove you are disabled and win disability benefits 1. Interstitial cystitis is a long-term condition that is better described as painful bladder syndrome. This condition causes bladder pressure and pain, as well as pelvic pain, that can vary from mild to severe. 2. Women are most often affected by the condition. 3. Interstitial cystitis may come and go in flares, and may vary in severity at different times within the same individual. Flares may coincide with menstruation, allergies, stress and sexual activity. 4. Symptoms include frequent and urgent urination, localized pelvic pain, chronic pelvic pain and pain during sex. Affected individuals may experience different combinations of symptoms, or only one symptom, but most have both pain and urination problems. 5. These symptoms may seem like a urinary tract infection but, when cultured, urine shows up without any bacteria. 6. It is unknown exactly what causes interstitial cystitis, but it seems that the signals from the bladder get mixed up and cause more frequent urination than normal. In addition, there may be a defect in the lining of the bladder causing irritation of the wall and therefore causing the pain many feel with interstitial cystitis. 7. Women ages 30-50 are at the highest risk for developing painful bladder syndrome. Those who have chronic pain conditions such as fibromyalgia are also more at risk, although the reason why is unknown. 8. Complications of painful bladder syndrome include stiffening of the bladder wall and therefore reduced capacity to hold urine, a lower quality of life due to interference of frequent urination and pain on activities and work, relationship problems and strain on sexual intimacy, and emotional stress or depression. 9. There is a particular oral medication called pentosan that has been approved specifically for painful bladder syndrome. It is not understood how this medication works, but it is believed to help restore the bladder wall, increasing protection from irritating substances in urine. It typically takes up to six months to see a marked reduction in symptoms. 10. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and antihistamines may also help reduce symptoms. 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 |