Progressive liver disease can seriously impact a person’s life. Some of the causes of this disease come from uncontrollable external sources, but others may potentially be self-inflicted, such as liver cirrhosis due to alcoholism.
Fortunately, this sort of liver damage could still be eligible for disability benefits.
Prevention from working
Social Security discusses the digestive system disorders that can qualify for disability benefits. They maintain the basic qualifying criteria for people who live with liver cirrhosis as induced by alcohol.
First, the disease must keep a person from working or engaging in substantial gainful activity (SGA). An SGA allows a person to earn more than $1,310 every month. Unfortunately, if a person can continue working or engage in an SGA, they do not qualify for SSD.
The condition also needs to have such a level of severity that it has more than a mild impact on work-related activities. Cirrhosis can often result in weakness or extreme fatigue, which makes it difficult or even impossible to continue with certain job tasks.
Doctor input about disease length
A person also needs a record of a doctor stating that the liver cirrhosis will either last for a minimum of 12 months or will eventually result in the death of the individual. Liver cirrhosis is a chronic condition with potentially fatal outcomes if a person does not follow strict management and get medical intervention, making this the easiest part for many.
Automatic qualification
It is also possible to automatically qualify for benefits if liver damage came with one or more issues including hydrothorax, ascites, hepatopulmonary syndromes, hepatic encephalopathy, end-stage liver disease, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis or gastrointestinal hemorrhage that resulted in a blood transfusion.
