Social Security Administration Updates Digestive Listings for Disability Status

[Guest guest]

Social

Security Administration Updates Digestive Listings for Disability Status

WASHINGTON,

DC - J. Astrue,

Commissioner of Social Security, today announced that the Social Security

Administration published new rules that update its medical listings for people

filing for disability benefits based on digestive disorders, including diseases

of the liver, stomach and colon.

Social

Security’s medical listings are one of the key elements used in

determining whether or not someone qualifies for disability benefits. The

new rules are a key step in the Commissioner’s initiative to update and

improve the medical listings used to evaluate people with disabilities.

For the first time, the agency will use a composite of quantitative measures to

ensure that people with severe liver disease receive benefits far more quickly

than in the past.

“Social

Security’s disability examiners are working with digestive listings that

do not accurately reflect advances in the diagnosis and treatment of digestive

disorders,” Commissioner Astrue said.

“As a result many cases that should be resolved quickly are not being

determined appropriately. The changes to our digestive listings are among

the many steps we are taking in our effort to bring about accurate allowances

for people who apply for Social Security disability.”

The

changes to the digestive listings reflect state of the art advances in medical

knowledge, treatment, and methods of evaluating digestive disorders and Social

Security’s own program experience. In addition,

Social Security has developed a new disability calculator tool that will be

used for the evaluation of chronic liver disease in adults and children.

This tool is the first of its kind used by the agency to help evaluate whether

or not someone qualifies for disability.

“By

improving our listings and predictors for digestive disorders, we can more

appropriately identify those individuals who should qualify for disability

benefits,” Commissioner Astrue noted.

“Making these types of updates is one of the ways we can improve our

service to the American people.”

Barb in Texas - Together in the Fight, Whatever it Takes!

Son Ken (33) UC 91 - PSC 99 - Tx 6/21 & 6/30/07 @ Baylor in Dallas

[Guest guest]

Barb, the information you provided on Social Security for Disability is great. You are so sweet to take the time to send these updates despite all your are going thru. Ironically, we just contacted Social Security yesterday because we are going broke having to take time off without pay since we ran out of Vacation days caring for our 9 year old son with UC and PSC and having to be there for his treatments and so on. People just do not get how debilitating these diseases are.

Plus, our insurance just changed at work and non of our doctors treating Tyler from Childrens Memorial Hospital in Chicago are in the new plan so I am not sure what we are going to do as we are so sickened and worried. We may be eligible for Medicaid for him too. I do not know as we are in the beginning stages of researching.

So any info anyone has to help us, please share!!! Thanks everyone!!

Regards,

and Ostos

Tyler age 9

McKenna age 5