Leaky gut syndrome (LGS), which is also commonly known as intestinal permeability, is a chronic illness that causes digestive issues, food intolerances, and generalized pain and discomfort. The condition is somewhat controversial, as many physicians believe it to be a symptom of other ailments rather than a disease onto itself. It is quite commonly seen as a concurrent illness in patients who also suffer from other conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis, cystic fibrosis, celiac disease, and chronic fatigue syndrome, among others.

While qualifying for disability benefits on a diagnosis of leaky gut syndrome alone can be difficult, as there is no dedicated disability listing with the Social Security Administration (SSA) for this condition, it is still possible to be found eligible for benefits, particularly if your LGS occurs in conjunction with another listed condition, or if your illness so severely affects your functional capacity that it prevents you from maintaining gainful employment.

Leaky Gut Syndrome Symptoms and Treatments

LGS is an intestinal ailment that allows toxins in the intestines, which should actually be excreted from the body, to leak through the intestinal walls and into the blood stream. This process results in a wide range of symptoms that include, but are not limited to:

• Bloating and gas
• Diarrhea and intestinal cramping
• Fatigue and low grade fevers
• Widespread aches and pains
• Food intolerances and allergies

The exact cause of LGS is unknown, which makes it a rather difficult condition to successfully treat. As there is no cure for the ailment, and as many patients respond differently to available prescription and other remedies, the most common treatments prescribed are designed to lessen the symptoms of the illness rather than eliminate them entirely. These treatments often include:

• Stress reduction and management programs
• Personalized dietary adjustments and nutritional maintenance programs
• Other lifestyle modifications as necessary, and as determined on a case by case basis

As there are few conventional or mainstream medical treatments for the condition, many patients and their physicians attempt to control symptoms through the strict dietary plans, like gluten, casein, sugar, and yeast-free diets. Many also prescribe the use of dietary supplements, including probiotics, B complex vitamins, and nystatin, among others.

Applying for SSD with Leaky Gut Syndrome

There is no listing for Leaky Gut Syndrome with the SSA, nor is there any widely accepted diagnostic method for formally substantiating the existence of the condition. These facts alone make getting disability benefits with a diagnosis of LGS alone difficult.

There are often connections between LGS and other more widely recognized and accepted medical conditions. Filing a disability claim based on a concurrent condition can increase your chances of being approved for benefits.

A few of the medical conditions that are listed with the SSA, and which may apply to your LGS disability claim include:

• Section 5.06 – Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
• Section 11.09 – Multiple Sclerosis
• Section 14.02 – Systemic lupus erythematosus
• Section 14.09 – Inflammatory arthritis(such as RA or PA)

Even if your symptoms don’t precisely meet the listing for a condition with the SSA, if they are equal in severity and similar enough to those seen with another listed condition, you may qualify for disability benefits by matching another condition’s listing.

If however, your symptoms do not match any other listed condition, you may still qualify for SSD, provided your functional capacity is severely impaired by your LGS. To determine this, the SSA will review your residual functional capacity (RFC), or your ability to perform everyday activities, including typical job functions. If your RFC shows you are so limited by your condition that you are unable to maintain gainful employment, you will be approved for benefits.

Getting Help with Your Leaky Gut Syndrome Disability Claim

Qualifying for disability can be difficult with any diagnosis, but is especially challenging with a diagnosis like leaky gut syndrome. It is advisable to seek assistance from a Social Security Disability advocate or attorney when filing your claim and even more important to consider doing so if your claim is initially denied and the filing of appeals is required.

Auditory Processing Disorder (APD), which is also commonly known as Central Auditory Processing Disorder, is a sensory disorder that affects the patient’s ability to process auditory information. In this disorder, hearing tests come back as normal despite the fact that patient’s report difficulty hearing. The condition can cause issues with language in general, including compromising not just the patient’s ability to hear but also to listen, read, learn and communicate, especially in social or group situations.

While the Social Security Administration (SSA) has no listing for APD, it is a condition for which you may still be able to qualify for Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits, though doing so will require you to qualify under a medical vocational allowance.

Auditory Processing Disorder Symptoms and Treatments

APD causes a wide range of symptoms for sufferers. The first and primary symptom that most patients complain of is hearing loss, though auditory tests usually come back with completely normal results. Other symptoms that may be present with the condition include:

• Difficulty listening in situations where background noise is prominent
• Trouble comprehending phone conversations
• Issues following directions and understanding the gist of long conversations
• Difficulty understanding technical or unfamiliar language
• Trouble taking notes and writing in general
• Struggles with reading, spelling and conversing
• Difficulty dealing with social situations and large group gatherings

As the condition typically presents with what are considered primarily psychological issues or learning deficit problems, patients are commonly treated through:

• Environmental modification
• Behavioral therapy
• Brain plasticity training or auditory integration training, which are a processes by which individuals attempt to teach their brains to process information differently

As the condition also commonly causes anxiety and depression issues, patients with APD are also commonly prescribed anti-anxiety and antidepressant medications and encouraged to practice meditation and other relaxation therapy techniques.

Applying for SSD with Auditory Processing Disorder

There are no standard diagnostic evaluations or criteria associated with APD. In other words, physicians do not agree on how to diagnose or identify the condition or how to treat it. It is a difficult condition to document as a result, but the SSA still requires extensive medical records to substantiate any diagnosis on which a disability application is filed. Your medical records, including your auditory test results and neurological exams, and psychological evaluation results, are all important aspects of your SSD application.

As there is no dedicated listing for APD in the SSA’s Blue Book, to qualify for benefits when a condition is not listed with the SSA, applicants must either:

• match another listed condition, proving through medical records and other documentation that APD is equally severe to the listed condition,

OR

• have a residual functional capacity (RFC) assessment that shows APD severely limits functional ability, thereby preventing gainful employment.

There are no listed conditions in the SSA’s Blue Book which closely match APD in symptoms or diagnostic means used to evaluate and diagnose the condition. For this reason, applicants for SSD benefits with APD must qualify under a medical vocational allowance following an RFC evaluation.

A medical vocational allowance essentially means that while your condition doesn’t meet or match a listed condition with the SSA it is nonetheless severely disabling. In conducting an RFC evaluation, the SSA will attempt to establish how extensive the affects of your APD limit your ability to perform normal, daily activities, including typical job functions. If your symptoms are severe enough to prevent you from holding a job for which you would otherwise be qualified then you will be found eligible for SSD benefits.

Getting Help with Your Auditory Processing Disorder SSD Claim

Because auditory processing disorder is a difficult to diagnose disorder and hard to document as a result, it can be challenging to prove a disability claim based on this condition. Getting help with your SSD application from a Social Security Disability advocate or attorney is therefore advisable, as it can increase your chances of receiving benefits.

A chronic medical condition that affects the blood vessels, varicose veins are most commonly found in the legs, though they can affect any area of the vascular system. Veins become swollen and painful, and may even burst due to poor circulation and the collection of too much blood in the vessels at one time.

While in most cases, varicose veins are a relatively mild or minor medical condition that can be managed through lifestyle and dietary adjustments and with minimally invasive treatments and procedures, in its more severe or advanced forms, particularly when associated with a condition known as chronic venous insufficiency (CVI), it can be quite debilitating and may qualify you for disability benefits.

Varicose Veins Symptoms and Treatments

Varicose veins are usually highly treatable, though they may still cause chronic pain or discomfort and other symptoms. They don’t typically prevent gainful employment. The most common symptoms seen with varicose veins include:

• Swelling of the blood vessels
• Swelling in the ankles, feet, and legs
• Pain and general discomfort
• A feeling of heaviness in the affected area
• Increased fatigability

In more severe cases, particularly when associated with CVI, skin ulcerations may develop in the affected body region. Ulcerations are painful and often difficult to manage. They can additionally lead to the development of bacterial infections and other complications.

In its more manageable forms, the most common treatments for varicose veins include the wearing of support stockings or hose and the elevation of the legs while sleeping or resting. Other dietary and lifestyle adjustments may also be prescribed.

When skin ulcers develop, many patients require surgical intervention to treat ulcers and remove dead tissue. Antibiotics and other medications are also required when ulcers are present. Chronic ulcerations may require the surgical removal of veins in the affected area.

Applying for SSD with Varicose Veins

While it is possible to qualify for Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits with varicose veins, the Social Security Administration (SSA) has no dedicated listing for the condition. This means you must either qualify under the listing for CVI, or under a medical vocational allowance, which simply means that while your condition does not meet or match a listed condition, it is nonetheless so disabling that it prevents you from maintaining gainful employment.

The SSA’s listing for CVI appears in Section 4.11 of the Blue Book. To meet the listing for CVI, your application must show:

• Your CVI effects at least one of your legs, causing insufficient or obstructed blood flow in the deep veins,

AND

• Extensive and lasting edema in 2/3 of your lower leg, from knee to ankle, or 1/3 of your entire leg, from hip to ankle

OR

• Consistent or ongoing, recurrent skin ulcerations or stasis dermatitis that persists for a minimum of 3 months despite following prescribed treatments.

If your CVI affects another area of your body other than your legs, but is equal in severity to the listing in Section 4.11 of the Blue Book, your application may be approved as an equivalent match to that listing.

If however, your varicose veins do not meet the CVI listing or match it closely enough, your residual functional capacity (RFC) must be reviewed to determine your eligibility for benefits. If you have severe enough symptoms, making it difficult to sit, stand, walk, or otherwise perform normal, everyday functions, including typical job duties, then your RFC rating may be sufficient for you to qualify for disability benefits under a medical vocational allowance.

Getting Help with Your Varicose Veins SSD Application

It can be difficult to prove any disability claim, but it is especially challenging when the application is based on a condition for which the SSA has no dedicated disability listing. You may wish to seek assistance with your application and in collecting the necessary medical records and other documentation to support your claim. A Social Security advocate or attorney can be an invaluable resource in filing your initial application for disability benefits and even more so if your claim is denied and appeals are required.

One of the most common mistakes made by people claiming Social Security disability benefits is filing a claim based on something that is not a disability that qualifies for disability benefits. Often, people make the mistake of assuming that just because a condition is considered disabling by their employer or a disability insurance company that they will qualify for Social Security disability benefits. Unfortunately, that just isn’t the case.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) uses a very narrow definition of what constitutes being “disabled” for their purposes. In order to qualify for Social Security disability benefits, you must be deemed completely unable to continue working in any full time employment available anywhere in the country for which you could reasonably be trained.

The SSA will take all jobs you have performed in the past 15 years into account when determining what kind of work you could reasonably be trained for. They will also consider your age and education level. Younger applicants are expected to be able to retrain for lighter or less stressful types of work in many cases.

Understanding what the SSA is looking for when they determine whether a person is disabled or not can help you determine whether it’s worthwhile for you to file for Social Security disability benefits or not. Here are some of the basic requirements to qualify for disability benefits:

• Your disability must be deemed “completely disabling.” This means that the SSA figures you are incapable of performing any kind of full time work (not just your current job).
• Your disability must be expected to last at least one year or to end in your death. SSDI, SSI and other disability programs overseen by the SSA are designed for people who have long term or terminal disabilities. If your disability is expected to be shorter term, you should not file, though you should make the SSA aware of your intent to file in order to establish a protective filing date, in case it becomes apparent your condition will be long term.
• Your condition must meet or be considered equivalent to a Social Security disability listing. The SSA’s “Blue Book” defines which conditions apply for disability benefits and how severe they must be in order to qualify. You can qualify with an unlisted condition, but it must meet the basic requirements for disability of one or more of the listed conditions.
• Many people become confused because their employer may tell them they are disabled, their doctors may tell them they are disabled, and they might even be able to collect from disability programs such as Worker’s Compensation or private disability income insurance. The confusion comes for a couple of reasons:
• Many disability programs don’t require total disability. This is particularly true of disability insurance programs which will pay out for partial disability in most cases.
• Many programs are tailored to your occupation. You can have a disability which hinders you from working at your current (or last) occupation, but which doesn’t hinder you from doing other types of available work. This will qualify for Worker’s Compensation and many insurance programs, but not for SSDI or SSI.

This isn’t to say that you should hesitate to file a Social Security disability claim if you are disabled. It is to say that you should consult someone who knows the SSA programs inside and out before you file. A Social Security disability lawyer can give you a reasonably accurate idea of whether your disability claim is likely to be approved by the SSA.

The Disability Quality Branch is in charge of pulling disability claims to see whether or not the employees of the Social Security Administration (SSA) handled the claims properly. About one in every one hundred claims is pulled at random. These claims may have already gone through processing or may still be in the processing stage. Whether a claim has been approved or denied does not matter. The Disability Quality Branch pulls cases at random so it reviews cases that have been both approved and denied. The goal of these reviews is to ensure that the disability examiners who are processing the Social Security Disability claims have followed the practices and procedures of the SSA when making a decision on whether or not to approve an application for Social Security Disability benefits.

If your case is pulled during processing, it may lengthen the amount of time that it takes to process your Social Security Disability claim. This is because the Disability Quality Branch will be checking your claim for accuracy, technicalities and thoroughness. It can take anywhere from a couple of weeks to several months for the branch to completely review a single case. The time spent on the case normally depends on the complexity of the case in question.

It is possible for the Disability Quality Branch to deny a claim that was previously approved. If you have been approved for Social Security Disability benefits and the Disability Quality Branch decides to deny your case, you have a right to appeal the decision. When appealing such an action, you may wish to retain the services of a Social Security Disability attorney to protect the benefits that you have been receiving.

DEQY is an acronym for Detailed Earnings Query. This query is a report that you can request from the Social Security Administration (SSA). This report displays your earnings information from each employer that you have worked for during your work history. You can request this report at your local Social Security Office or online at the SSA’s website. When you receive the report, it will display your earnings information for each employer that you have worked for as well as other personal information, such as your name, gender, social security number and the EIN of your employer and/or employers.

A Detailed Earnings Query displays a variety of information aside from your covered wage information. Information regarding self-employment income, Medicare details, pension information, railroad employment data, special wage payment details and the address of your present employer as well as the addresses of any past employers will also be included in this report.

If you are applying for Social Security Disability benefits, you can obtain a copy of your DEQY to verify your eligibility for SSDI benefits. This report may also be taken into consideration when you are appealing a denial of benefits at a disability hearing before an administrative law judge. The report must be requested, however, as it will not automatically be provided for your appeal needs.

The information that the DEQY report contains will be able to help you detail your employment history. This employment history can be important to your disability case and may be able to help you obtain the disability benefits that you are trying to obtain.

A Social Security Disability Advocate is a professional who represents you in your claim for Social Security Disability benefits. These professionals perform the same tasks and responsibilities as a disability attorney during the initial stage of the application process and during certain stages of the appeal process.

Expedited reinstatement of benefits can be requested if your Social Security Disability benefits ended because you worked and received earnings. If your disability benefits ended due to gainful employment, you can request that your benefits be reinstated without having to apply for benefits all over again if you find that your disability prevented you from continuing your work activity. The reinstatement of benefits without the need for a new application is referred to as expedited reinstatement of benefits. During the time that the SSA is determining whether or not you will receive benefits again under expedited reinstatement, they will provide you with temporary benefits for a period of up to six months.

In order to be eligible for the expedited reinstatement of your benefits, you must have stopped receiving benefits due to earnings from work, must not be able to work or perform substantial gainful activity, and must be disabled due to an impairment that is the same as the impairment that allowed you to get benefits in the first place. You must also make the request for reinstatement of your benefits within five years from the month that your original benefits ended.

The provisional payments that are paid when you request an expedited reinstatement of benefits will last for six months, allowing you to receive benefits while the SSA determines whether or not you are eligible for expedited reinstatement of benefits. These benefits will include cash payments in addition to Medicare and/or Medicaid coverage. If the SSA denies your request for expedited reinstatement of benefits, the provisional payments that you received usually do not have to be paid back.

While these provisional payments can last for up to six months, they will end sooner if you are notified that you are not eligible for expedited reinstatement before the six-month period ends, begin to engage in substantial gainful activity or reach full retirement age.