Last week, we read an excellent editorial in the Cheraw Chronicle in South Carolina about Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and kidney disease.
Brenda Brown, a specialist with the Social Security Administration (SSA), wrote the piece, which reminds people who suffer from kidney disease that they may be entitled to benefits. Brown discussed the case of a man named Ebie who fell ill one day at work after developing a kidney condition.
Ebie’s story is now a part of the SSA’s Faces and Facts of Disability campaign, aimed at raising benefit awareness. Ebie said that after he became disabled due to his kidney condition, SSDI benefits became a vital way for him to provide for himself and maintain a “high quality of life”.
As Brown noted, many people suffering from kidney diseases are unaware about how Social Security benefits may help them. “If a kidney disease such as end-stage renal disease (known as ESRD) requires chronic dialysis and prevents you from working, Social Security may be able to help you,” Brown wrote. “If you’re undergoing dialysis, have had a kidney transplant, have persistent low creatinine clearance levels or have persistent high serum creatinine levels, you may qualify for disability and/or Medicare benefits.”
Sadly, as Brown noted, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that 20 million Americans have chronic kidney disease and many may not know it, and may not have planned financially for a long-term disability or illness.
Collecting Social Security Disability with a Kidney Disease
As the editorial mentions, many people with kidney disease are able to collect Social Security benefits. Remember, some people who suffer from chronic conditions are able to take advantage of the SSA’s “compassionate allowances” program, which provides a fast-track application process for disability benefits.
If you have questions about benefits, you can visit our Social Security FAQ page. Keep in mind, to obtain SSDI benefits specifically, you must suffer from symptoms that are expected to last longer than 12 months and could result in death.
Troutman & Troutman, P.C. – Tulsa Social Security disability lawyers
Troutman Touts: Symptoms of chronic kidney disease include high blood pressure, trouble eating, fatigue and imbalance.
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