Chronic Liver Disease

Chronic liver disease is an umbrella term that encompasses multiple conditions that affect the liver. The most common causes of liver disease include viruses, genetics, excessive alcohol use, poor diet, and reactions to medications or toxic chemicals. Most liver diseases damage the liver in similar ways, so that the progression of the illness looks similar regardless of the underlying condition causing the disease. Given the importance of the liver’s functions in the body, early detection is key for successful treatment and preventing the development of additional comorbidities that can result from extensive liver damage.

Many people do not look or feel sick when they have liver disease until the disease has advanced significantly, which can complicate efforts for early detection. At a certain point in the progression of liver disease, the damage can become irreversible and lead to liver failure, at which point many people join a waitlist for a liver transplant. In the United States, there are currently over eleven thousand individuals awaiting liver transplants. 

Chronic Liver Disease takes on many forms, including conditions like hepatitis, cirrhosis, and liver cancer. Each can cause a range of serious symptoms, including fatigue, digestive problems, jaundice, metabolic issues, concentration problems, and mental disorientation.

Some chronic liver conditions qualify for expedited review and approval under the Social Security Administration’s (SSA’s) Compassionate Allowances (CAL) program. Others must proceed through the standard review process.

Social Security had a webpage to calculate the CDL score for listig 5.05(G).

https://www.ssa.gov/disability/professionals/bluebook/impairments_digestive_cld.ht

If you don’t qualify for benefits under the SSA’s strict Blue Book listings, you have another option. Those who can’t work due to advanced liver disease can provide documentation as evidence that your condition, in combination with your education, age, and past work experience, leaves you unable to perform any type of job. You’ll need to submit medical records that list your symptoms and limitations.

It’s important to note that the SSA regularly denies Disability applications for liver patients who drink alcohol, on the assumption that it impedes liver improvement.

If you need help applying for Social Security Disability or SSI, please contact me at joshben99@gmail.com. I have over 20 years experience with Social Security Disability cases.
Location: Michigan, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sample questions you may be asked at your social security hearing

  Every case is different; no list will contain EVERY question an administrative law judge might ask, and the questions may not be asked in exactly this way, or in this order, but this information should help prevent you from feeling like questions are coming at you from “left field.” Going over this list will also spur you to think about things you might not have previously considered (such as how long you can sit, stand, walk or concentrate). You will NOT be asked every single question on this list and it is NOT useful to try to memorize answers to the questions. Just read over the list in the days before your hearing. Of course, this list should NOT be construed as legal advice pertaining to your case, and by providing it, I am not acting as your lawyer. My intention is just to provide some really helpful, general information. I. INTRODUCTORY INFORMATION Name – address – date of birth Marital Status and maiden name Former spouse information Do you live in a house, apar...
Read more

Frequency of Medical Treatment

The frequency of your medical treatment is an important factor in your Social Security disability claim. A diagnosis is a first step, but a judge must evaluate your functional limitations due to your medical condition. And when evaluating the seriousness of your functional limitations, regular doctor visits are helpful. Looking at the cases of mine that were not granted in the past year or so, the lack of medical treatment played a role in almost every one. There a lots of reasons not to go to the doctor. There are co-pays. Sometimes there is little the doctor can do for you. Perhaps you do not want to complain to the doctor about your daily struggles. But without regular doctor visits, you may have an uphill battle for disability benefits. Also, the more the doctor sees you and is familiar with your condition, the more likely that the doctor will provide an opinion regarding your functional limitations. Those opinions are often the most persuasive medical evidence available to a perso...
Read more

Covid Long Haul and Social Security Disability

Social Security Disability is a federal program to assist individuals who suffer from long-term disabilities that will keep them from working for 12 months or longer. This program is funded through payroll taxes that everyone sees on their pay stubs.  Applying for SSDI as a COVID long-hauler is a bit of a complex topic at this point. Due to the associated symptoms of long COVID, it is reasonable to connect having the disease and qualifying for disability benefits. However, every case is individually considered by the Social Security Administration (SSA) before approval, and there are plenty of cases that are later approved after being initially denied.  Long COVID, or long-haul COVID, is a term to describe a syndrome where symptoms continue months after a coronavirus infection. Researchers think that 10% to 30% of patients who had COVID infections might suffer from long COVID, or "post-COVID syndrome," whether their initial illness was serious or not. Some researchers define ...
Read more