The growth of a baby is an amazing, miraculous process. Because this growth happens so quickly, and because some of the critical organs like the brain and the heart form so early in the process, there are a lot of things that can go wrong as these structures are coming together. The result can be a congenital birth defect. These defects can be comparatively minor, such as a small joint anomaly, or much more serious, like a brain or heart defect.
For the parents of a child born with a major organ malformation, the rest of the world seems to screech to a halt. Nothing else feels as important as just waiting for your child to be healthy enough to go home, get strong, and grow up.
Unfortunately, life doesn’t wait for us. It goes on. Work needs to be done, and bills need to be paid. At times like these, Social Security Disability benefits can help to lift off at least some of the seemingly crushing weight.
While the process of receiving disability benefits has become incredibly laborious, the Social Security Administration (SSA) has seen fit to open up a relief valve in the form of the Compassionate Allowance program. In doing so, the agency created a sub-group of conditions which, by their very nature, are serious enough to warrant disability status. These conditions are given fast-track status through the disability application process, meaning that benefit payments can begin within a matter of weeks.
If your child was born with one of these qualifying conditions, it is crucial that you begin the process of applying for benefits as soon as you possibly can in order to minimize any delays to your case.
Mitral Valve Atresia – Condition and Symptoms
The heart is made almost entirely of muscle. Internally, it is divided into 4 separate chambers: 2 upper (the left and right atria- plural for atrium), and 2 lower (the left and right ventricles). In the wall that separate these chambers are valves, which are fibrous flaps which act much like a one-way door; they swing open to allow blood to flow through in one direction, but not the other. As the heart pumps blood in several directions at once, pressure from one side of the valve opens it until pressure on the other side is sufficient to close it.
The mitral valve is located between the left ventricle and the left atrium. As freshly-oxygenated blood returns to the heart through the pulmonary veins, it enters the left atrium, passes through the mitral valve into the left ventricle, and is then pumped out to the aorta to be distributed to the rest of the body.
In cases of Mitral Valve Atresia, this valve doesn’t form correctly. Consequently, blood can’t get to the left ventricle, which becomes small and underdeveloped. There can be a great deal of variety in the severity of this defect, depending on the degree of impediment to the development of the related structures.
Symptoms of Mitral Valve Atresia include shortness of breath, feeding problems in infants, rapid breathing, cool, clammy, or blue skin, and poor growth. Symptoms are usually present shortly after birth.
Mitral Valve Atresia can usually be treated with surgery. Patients usually require close monitoring of their heart condition.
Filing for Social Security Disability with Mitral Valve Atresia
If your child has been diagnosed with Mitral Valve Atresia, he or she will automatically qualify to receive Social Security Disability benefits, since this condition is among those which have been determined to meet Compassionate Allowance criteria. As long as all of the necessary documentation is in order, your claim may be approved within a matter of weeks. While Compassionate Allowance status virtually guarantees the approval of your claim, it would be in your best interests to have your case evaluated by a Social Security Disability attorney.
Almost three quarters of all first-time applications for disability benefits are denied. Many of those denials are for claimants who are truly entitled to receive benefits; the problem is that their paperwork is inaccurate or inadequate. The procedural errors can sideline your claim for months, possibly years. A Social Security Disability attorney can help you avoid such delays.
Your Mitral Valve Atresia Social Security Disability Case
If you are the parent of a child born with Mitral Valve Atresia, you already have enough to worry about. By trusting your case to an experienced Social Security Disability lawyer, you can rest easily in the confidence that your case is being handled by a professional who knows how to get results the first time.
Please click here for a free evaluation of your claim by a qualified disability attorney or advocate in your area.
