Liver disease can be a progressive disorder that worsens over time. Although some types of the disease respond well to lifestyle and diet changes, other types can affect a person’s ability to function. When chronic liver disease disability prevents a person from working, Social Security disability benefits may be available.
The Social Security Administration does not approve applications for liver disease disability benefits based solely on a diagnosis of the condition. It also does not approve claims for short-term or partial disability. The medical evidence must prove that a person diagnosed with liver disease has a severe condition affecting their ability to work.
For anyone living with the debilitating symptoms of liver disease, the process to be approved for SSD for liver conditions can be overwhelming. At Clauson Law, our disability professionals have decades of experience navigating the Social Security disability system and present strong, well-documented liver SSD claims.
You must be disabled and unable to work to be approved for disability benefits through the Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income programs administered by the Social Security Administration. The evaluation process for SSDI and SSI applications relies on a federal definition of disability.
According to the definition, a person must be unable to engage in any substantial gainful activity because of a medically determinable physical or mental impairment or a combination of impairments. The impairments must be expected to result in death, or they have lasted, or must be expected to last, for at least 12 continuous months.
“Substantial gainful activity” in the definition refers to the level of work activity and the earnings a person receives for doing it. Work is substantial when it involves significant physical or mental activity, or a combination of both.
Work activity is gainful when any of the following apply:
· A person does it for pay or profit.
· It involves a type of work activity typically done for pay or profit.
· It was intended for profit, even though none was realized.
· Work done on a part-time basis.
Social Security uses monthly earnings to determine whether a person performs gainful work activity. The federal government sets the monthly earnings amount, with annual adjustments based on changes in the national average wage index.
The liver filters toxins from the blood, but the same toxins can affect the liver’s ability to function properly. Liver disease is a chronic, progressive disorder with the damage done to the organ getting worse over time if left untreated.
Liver disease in its early stages may not produce symptoms, so it can remain untreated until symptoms get worse. Common symptoms include:
· Abdominal pain and swelling.
· Fatigue.
· Yellowing of the skin and white portion of the eyes.
· Dark urine.
· Nausea or vomiting.
· Loss of appetite.
· Pale stool.
· Itchy skin.
· Swollen legs and ankles.
Progression of the disease may cause a person to experience impaired brain function, including confusion, impaired concentration and memory, and changes in personality. Later stages of the disease may result in a person going into a coma.
Treatment options for liver disease depend on its progression. Medication and lifestyle changes may be used treat symptoms in the initial stages of the disease. Chronic liver disease that has progressed may become severe enough to require surgery to replace a non-functioning liver with a healthy one.
Causes of liver disease include:
· Viral infections.
· Autoimmune diseases.
· Genetics.
· Cancer.
· Long-term alcohol abuse.
· Metabolic dysfunction causing fatty deposits.
· Congenital conditions, such as biliary stasis or cystic fibrosis.
· Cardiovascular diseases.
A liver disease diagnosis requires additional documentation of the effect your medical condition has on your ability to work.
An application for SSD for liver conditions requires medical evidence of its severity and effect on your ability to work. Medical documentation should include the following:
· Physical examination and medical history.
· Diagnostic laboratory testing, including liver function tests.
· Diagnostic imaging reports, including CT scans, MRIs, and ultrasounds.
· Treatment and medication documentation.
· Hospitalization records, including surgical records, if any.
Keeping a personal diary of symptoms that you experience, including the date they occur, description, and the physical or mental limitations you encounter as a result of them.
The disability benefits team at Clauson Law takes the time to gather medical records and speak with your doctors. This ensures the documentation required to support the application is available during the evaluation process.
Applications for SSD for liver conditions undergo a five-step sequential evaluation process. The process seeks to determine whether the applicant has a disabling medical condition meeting the standard of the disability definition. The evaluation process includes the following steps:
· Step 1: If the applicant works, are they engaging in substantial gainful activity?
· Step 2: Do the medical records document a severe medical condition expected to last for at least 12 months or result in death?
· Step 3: Does the applicant have an impairment that meets or medically equals an impairment in the listing of impairments, commonly called the “Blue Book?”
· Step 4: Do the limitations caused by their medical condition prevent the applicant from doing past relevant work?
· Step 5: Do the limitations of the medical condition and the applicant’s age, education, work experience, and vocational skills allow the person to adjust to doing other types of work available in the national economy?
The listing of impairments in step 3 of the evaluation process can be critical to the Social Security liver disease approval process.
The listing of impairments contains physical and mental conditions that the Social Security Administration considers as being severe enough to meet the standard of the disability definition. Each listed impairment includes symptoms and other medical criteria of the condition.
Chronic liver disease claims are evaluated using section 5.05 of the Blue Book. Criteria for chronic liver disease include:
· Esophageal or gastric hemorrhaging requiring hospitalization for transfusions.
· Fluid accumulation in specific parts of the abdomen.
· Hydrothorax, a collection of fluid within the pleural cavities.
· Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis.
· Hepatopulmonary syndrome.
The listing includes additional medical criteria to meet or medically equal in order to be approved for SSDI or SSI based on the listing for chronic liver disease.
Depending on a person’s medical records, the evaluation process may review the claim using section 5.09 of the listings, “liver transplantation.” Liver disease resulting in a patient needing a liver transplant may be approved for disability benefits for one year from the date of the transplant. The person’s continued receipt of benefits would be reviewed after the one-year period to evaluate physical or mental impairments existing at the time of the review.
The Social Security Administration denies benefits to about two-thirds of the people who apply for them. Applications seeking liver disease disability benefits can be complicated and difficult to prove. When you rely on a disability lawyer from Clauson Law for representation, you get an experienced and skilled representative to fight for the benefits that you need and deserve. Contact us today for a free consultation and learn what we do to improve your chance of success.
