Are You Undergoing Kidney Dialysis?
Kidney disease can lead to expensive, excruciating, and devastating complications that prohibit many patients from working and earning a living. To offer support to people who are facing such a difficult situation, the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) provides disability benefits as a financial resource.
The US government recognizes the stress that dialysis treatments can cause. If you are one of the people who depend on dialysis to live, one of the best ways to protect yourself is to apply for disability benefits. Contact a disability attorney to discuss your medical history. They can perform a comprehensive investigation and help you take the right steps to seek monetary help from the SSA.
Here are some of the steps you can take to apply:
- Try to find out how much dialysis limits you: Before you initiate your application, it can be vital to assess and document your situation to determine how your life is affected by dialysis. This can help the SSA to have a better understanding of your circumstance during the process.
For instance, many people undergo kidney dialysis as a result of chronic kidney disease. This can cause some adverse reactions, such as nausea, fatigue, and other kinds of ailments. People who experience these side effects may face a difficult time performing everyday tasks. The more the dialysis causes limitations on your daily life, the more likely you will qualify for disability for kidney disease.
- Review the blue book and determine whether your disability may qualify under one of the listings: To qualify for Social Security disability benefits, applicants generally should be entirely and permanently disabled. SSA usually requires that people suffer from a physical or mental disorder for more than a year that prevents them from working. To determine this, SSA compares all applicants to the requirements set forth within the blue book.
As listed under Section 6, to qualify, applicants would need to possess dialysis of chronic kidney disease and obtain regular hemodialysis. This dialysis should have lasted for at least 12 months for a person to qualify. Because the SSA identifies several ways in which dialysis can change a person’s life, it is very uncommon for somebody on dialysis not to qualify medically for disability benefits.
- Include the required medical documentation: It is important to include documentation beginning from when your kidney issues began, which is likely before you began dialysis treatments. Some people qualify without dialysis, so you might be eligible to receive retroactive payments for the time period before dialysis.
- Assemble your paperwork and prepare to complete the SSA application: Applicants may also need to provide evidence of their work history and taxes when applying for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits, but less often for Supplemental Security Income or SSI benefits. The SSA uses this information to determine the amount of money that an applicant has contributed to the Social Security system in the past, how your condition has affected your ability to do work, and the programs for which you may be eligible.
For example, a person with sufficient credits may qualify for SSDI, while a person with no work history might be eligible for SSI.
Can You Get Disability for Chronic Kidney Disease?
While preparing for your disability benefits application, make sure to include all of the paperwork you can amass to sufficiently describe your situation to the SSA. This may consist of medical records, physician notes, medication lists, pay stubs, and other general information.
Once you are ready, you can either start the application process for benefits online, or you can schedule an in-person appointment at your local Social Security Office to complete the process.
One of the significant challenges that people undergoing kidney dialysis often face is the cost, both of the treatment and of the time involved.
Is Kidney Disease a Disability?
Yes kidney disease can qualify as a disability. When long-term kidney issues cause a person to experience other health conditions and can no longer earn a living because of them, they may be able to qualify.
Seeking disability benefits requires that you complete an application that demands a great deal of medical documentation before the SSA can make a determination on your case. One of the most reliable ways to apply is online via the SSA’s website. You can also file a paper application that you can pick up at a local SSA branch office or print from the website.
Before applying for benefits, consider contacting an experienced lawyer for Social Security disability. They can assist you with completing your application, organizing your paperwork, and guiding you through the process of appealing the SSA’s decision if required.