Getting Social Security Disability Benefits in Ohio for Chronic Liver Disease

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You can be approved for Social Security disability benefits in Ohio due to symptoms associated with chronic liver disease, including hepatitis and cirrhosis.  In our legal experience, your eligibility turns on your symptoms, not the diagnosis alone.  Claimants approved for benefits due to chronic liver disease can be extremely sick.  Some of our clients face being on a transplant list before Social Security acknowledges their true level of disability.  Our Hoglund Lawyers, however, can change this.  We can effectively argue the cumulative impact of subjective symptoms under some circumstances.  

In our legal experience, Social Security’s defined standards for liver disease can pose difficult, but not insurmountable, hurdles.  Social Security first evaluates your liver disease based on whether you are defined as disabled under its rules.  These rules are called listings.  If you do not qualify under the listings for chronic liver disease, you can also be approved in Ohio based on your general inability to work full-time for 1 year or more.  Your functional limitations are called your “residual functional capacity.”

Examples of disabling symptoms and conditions caused by chronic liver disease which may cause disability are:

• Hemorrhaging from esophageal, gastric, or ectopic varices or from portal hypertensive gastropathy requiring hospitalization for transfusion of at least 2 units of blood.
• Ascites or hydrothorax not attributable to other causes.
• Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis.
• Hepatorenal syndrome.
• Hepatopulmonary syndrome.
• Intrapulmonary arteriovenous shunting.
• Hepatic encephalopathy.
• End stage liver disease.
• Liver transplant.

Our clients with chronic liver disease can have very severe subjective symptoms, such as feeling extremely weak, fatigued and nauseous. Our Hoglund Lawyers evaluate the elements of listings 5.05 and 5.09.  We also can ask treating physicians to clarify the elements of their diagnosis and treatment.       

We advise claimants with chronic liver disease to strictly follow their physician’s advice.  This invariably includes avoiding alcohol and letting their treating physicians know about any kind of bleeding issues.  

Legal and medical issues that arise in Social Security disability cases can be extremely complex, especially involving chronic liver disease.  Only licensed lawyers can give you professional legal advice.  If you want professional legal advice on your situation, please feel free to call Hoglund Law Offices today for a free consultation.