SSDRC

Filing an Application for Disability Benefits

Social Security Disability List of Impairments

Social Security Disability and SSI Back pay

Social Security Disability Status

SSI Disability Benefits

Social Security Disability and SSI Requirements

Social Security, SSI, and Mental Disability

How Long Does It Take To Get Disability Benefits?

Qualifying: What do you Need to Prove to Qualify for Disability?

Facts about Irritable bowel syndrome and Filing for Disability

1. Irritable bowel syndrome is a common chronic condition of the large intestine, the colon, that causes uncomfortable symptoms yet does not increase health risks for conditions such as colon cancer.

2. Symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome include abdominal discomfort such as cramping, bloating and pain, as well as diarrhea and constipation. Other common symptoms are gas and mucus in the stool.

3. In only a few cases do those with irritable bowel syndrome have severe symptoms.

4. It is thought that as many as one in five of all Americans experience these symptoms. It is also believed that less than half of affected individuals see a medical professional about their symptoms.

5. The symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome are similar to those of many other, more serious conditions. A medical professional can test for other problems, which helps diagnose irritable bowel syndrome through the process of exclusion. A doctor can also give tips and medications to help manage the condition and relieve symptoms.

6. It is unknown what causes irritable bowel syndrome. It occurs more frequently in women under the age of 35, so hormones may play a role, and the condition may also be brought on by a stressful event or possibly an illness.

7. At least twice as many women than men have irritable bowel syndrome.

8. Irritable bowel syndrome, unlike inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn's, does not cause more serious problems such as inflammation or changes in bowel tissue.

9. The most significant side effect of irritable bowel syndrome is the condition's interference with leading a normal daily lifestyle. It may be difficult to travel or keep plans with friends, sex may become painful or unappealing, and career development may be jeopardized by sick days.

10. Those with irritable bowel syndrome take around three times as many sick days off of work for discomfort associated with symptoms of the condition.

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.