Massachusetts Social Security Disability Lawyers Blog
According to a recent news article from the Palm Beach Post, people with kidney disease may be eligible to receive Social Security Disability Insurance benefits. As March is National Kidney Disease Awareness Month, the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) is taking the time to speak about kidney health and how patients may be entitled to benefits.
Kidneys are essential in cleansing the blood, and kidney disease can prevent this from happening.
Medical researchers estimate one in three Americans is at elevated risk for kidney disease. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates there are around 20 million Americans suffering from kidney disease, and many of them have no idea.
One patient interviewed for this news article is an emergency room employee who led an active life at home and work and regularly performs community service. He was driving to work and became very ill. He had to call a co-worker to help him get to work that day. He was soon diagnosed with kidney disease.
This patient’s story is also featured on SSA’s website, where he describes how people suffering from kidney disease are in a better position to provide for themselves and have a better quality of life if they are receiving disability benefits.
One of the reasons it is so hard for kidney disease patients to work is that they have a severe shortage of energy, constantly feel sick, and may require kidney dialysis. This requires kidney patients to go to a dialysis center as often as several times a week and spend hours attached to a dialysis machine. A dialysis machine removes the blood from a patient’s body, filters out toxins and pumps the blood back into the kidney dialysis patient.
As our Boston disability attorneys can explain, in order to qualify for Social Security disability benefits, a claimant must have worked a certain number of years in order to have “paid into the system” and have a condition or set of conditions which SSA guidelines consider a disability. According to SSA guidelines, kidney illness by itself requires claimants to suffer from end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and be on chronic dialysis, which prevents them from working.
You may also qualify for disability benefits if you are in need of a kidney transplant, have persistent creatinine clearance levels, and have high serum creatinine levels.
However, your disability attorney may be able to demonstrate that kidney disease, along with other aliments or problems, will qualify you for benefits, even if you are not suffering from ESRD. The best thing you can do is to speak with an experienced attorney as soon as possible to discuss your options. It is much easier for your attorney to assist you in getting benefits if he or she is able to help you before you submit your application for benefits. While this does not mean you should not contact an attorney if you have already begun the lengthy application process, it is often easier for your lawyer to help get things right from the beginning than it is to go back and correct problems that have already occurred.
If you or a loved one is seeking Social Security Disability Insurance in Boston, call for a free and confidential appointment at (617) 777-7777.
Additional Resources:
Social Security: People with kidney disease eligible for benefits ., Mar. 10, 2015, Palm Beach Post
More Blog Entries:
Rand Paul Says Many Receiving SSDI Benefits Gaming System, Jan. 27, 2015, Boston Social Security Disability Insurance Lawyer Blog