When a disease, injury or genetic defect causes the failure of a kidney or other organ, an organ transplant may be the only alternative. According to data compiled by the federal government, there were more than 40,000 organ transplants performed last year with kidney, liver and heart transplants being the most common.
Organ transplants disability may affect your ability to work and earn a living either while waiting for an organ to become available and during the recovery period after surgery. Fortunately, the Social Security Administration (SSA) manages programs to provide organ transplants disability benefits to relieve the financial pressure of being unable to work.
Organ transplants disability benefits are available through the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and the Social Security Disability (SSDI) Insurance programs administered by the SSA. In order to qualify for either program, you must meet financial and medical requirements.
SSI is a need-based program offering monthly payments designed to help a person pay for necessities, such as food and shelter. You must have limited income and resources to qualify for benefits through SSI, but you do not need a work history or earnings record.
SSDI pays benefits to workers who worked long enough at jobs or through self-employment where they paid Social Security taxes on the income to be insured through the program. An organ transplants disability benefits lawyer at Disability Partners, PLLC, will review your work history, current income, and available resources to determine whether you meet the financial and work requirements for the SSI and SSDI programs.
If you have a medical condition appearing in the SSA Listing of Impairments that causes organ failure, you may automatically qualify for SSI or SSDI benefits provided you meet the financial conditions for the program. Listed medical conditions a person awaiting a transplant may experience include:
Once you undergo the organ transplant surgery, there is a process to be approved for disability benefits.
Included in the Listing of Impairments are organ transplants that automatically qualify for Social Security disability benefits while you are awaiting donation of an organ. The following are some of the listed organ transplants:
You are entitled to receive Social Security organ transplants disability benefits for one year after a listed transplant surgery. You should not wait until having the surgery to apply for benefits.
You may apply for organ transplants disability benefits as soon as you have a diagnosis from a physician of organ failure that is supported by results of diagnostic testing. You also need to show proof that you are on a waitlist with an organ transplant registry to apply before the transplant procedure is performed.
Let the organ transplants disability benefits lawyers at Disability Partners, PLLC, use their years of experience successfully helping people pursue benefit claims through SSI and SSDI. Contact us today for a free consultation.