Kidney failure can produce several health issues that can cause a permanent disability. Although you suffer from kidney failure, it is not a guarantee that Social Security Administration (SSA) will approve your claim to receive financial security because you cannot work.
For a Social Security Disability (SSD) claim, the onus is on you to submit medical documents that provide enough evidence of a permanent disability. Medical documents signed by a doctor proving emergency room visits and an extensive treatment history can help your permanent disability claim.
The more evidence you submit in the form of medical documents, the better chance you have of the SSA approving your SSD claim.
What You Need to Know about the SSA Blue Book
The SSA has created the Blue Book to present the medical conditions that qualify applicants for SSD benefits. Each medical condition listed in the Blue Book includes the documentation required to become eligible to receive enough money to compensate for the inability to work a full time job.
The medical condition guidelines determine whether you will receive Supplemental Security Insurance and Social Security Disability Insurance. Both benefit programs require the submission of doctor confirmed medical records.
Although meeting the criteria spelled out in the SSA Blue Book does not seal the deal, it will establish enough proof that your case deserves consideration by the SSA.
The Importance of Your Doctor Validating Disability Claim
When a health care professional testifies at a criminal trial, he or she is providing hard evidence of a crime to back up the claims made by detectives investigating a case. The same principle applies for SSD applicants.
You need a licensed and experienced doctor to sign off on your kidney failure claim. According to the Blue Book, the SSA will request medical documentation of a kidney failure diagnosis and treatment regimen to prove your disability. A written statement presented by your doctor offers detailed insight into the status of your health.
The SSA evaluates genitourinary disorders caused by chronic kidney disease (CKD). Examples of kidney failure disorders include hypertensive nephropathy and consistent glomerulonephritis.
You need to submit hard evidence to the SSA, which means submitting documentation signed by a kidney specialist. The SSA needs medical documentation from your doctor, but a specialist in kidney disorders gives you case much more credibility during a SSD hearing.
Medical lab discoveries such a documentation of serum albumin or serum creatinine levels help prove kidney failure, but the data must have come from several tests performed over the course of at least the past 90 days.
Here are some other medical documents you must file with the SSA prove kidney failure:
- Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR)
- Kidney biopsy
- Chronic hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis
- Kidney transplant
- Anasarca
- Anorexia
- Renal osteodystrophy
- Peripheral neuropathy
- Fluid overload syndrome
- Complications of CKD
The SSD claim filing process can frustrate the most determine applicants. In addition to spending months fighting claim denials, you also have to spend time acquiring the medical documents you need to build a solid case. The SSA can deny your claim right from the start or request more documentation to keep your claim moving forward.
By working with a licensed Social Security lawyer, you will alleviate the frustration of having to deal with the SSA. An experienced lawyer knows which medical documents are important in getting your kidney failure claim approved, as well as how to handle a SSD appeal hearing.
Speak with a Social Security lawyer to learn more about filing a SSD claim for kidney failure.
