 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 Kidney Disease and Filing for DisabilityHow to prove you are disabled and win disability benefits 1) Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is caused by a progressive deterioration of kidney function, usually due to hypertension, glomerulonephritis , polycystic kidney disease, diabetic nephropathy, analgesic nephropathy, or HIV nephropathy. CKD is most often diagnosed by a blood test that measures creatinine levels found in the blood. 2) There are five stages of CKD. Stage one has few symptoms and marks a ‘slight deterioration of kidney failure’, while stage 5 is ‘established kidney failure’. When one reaches stage 5 they will most likely need renal replacement therapy, in the form of dialysis or a kidney transplant. 3) There are many reasons to monitor the kidneys for kidney disease. Heart disease, liver disease, high blood pressure, type 1 or 2 diabetes, sickle cell disease, amyloidosis, lupus, and vascular diseases can all increase risk for chronic kidney disease. Genetics can come into play as well. If you have a family history, it is recommended to screen the kidneys regularly. 4) Cardiovascular disease, pericarditis, and anemia are all known complications of kidney disease. Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death in patients with CKD, and can be found in various stages of the disease. 5) Americans are seeing a rapid increase in instances of obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes, causing the instance of chronic kidney disease to rise as well. It has been shown that diet can help slow progression of the disease. 6) One would think that urine output would eventually be affected with CKD, especially during stage 5, but even stage 5 has no decrease in urine output. The only urine symptom is a need to increase frequency of urination, especially at night. 7) In addition to medical treatment, there are also things that can be done by the patient in hopes of slowing CKD progression, such as losing weight, quitting smoking, avoiding non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and limiting salt, potassium, phosphorus, and protein in the diet. 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 |