The Social Security Administration (SSA) helps spread the word about the importance of kidney health and what you should do if you think you or a loved one has a kidney-related disability.
Kidney disease prevents kidneys from cleansing your blood to their full potential. Did you know that one out of three Americans is currently at high risk for developing kidney disease? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 20 million Americans have chronic kidney disease and most of them don’t even know it.
Ebie is a prime example. Ebie was an emergency room worker with an active life at work, home and in his community. He had no idea he’d developed a kidney condition until one day he felt ill while driving to work and had to call a coworker for help.
SSA’s “Faces and Facts of Disability” website features Ebie’s story. He says people who receive Social Security (SS) disability benefits “can provide for themselves better and have a high quality of life.” As Ebie explained, many people with kidney diseases can greatly improve their lives with SS benefits. Learn more about Ebie’s story at www.socialsecurity.gov/disabilityfacts.
If a kidney disease, such as end-stage renal disease (known as ESRD), requires chronic dialysis and prevents you from working, the SSA may be able to help. 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. You can find more information about eligibility based on kidney disease and the benefits available to you by reading SSA’s “Disability Benefits” and “Medicare” publications at www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs.
Listed as one of SSA’s Compassionate Allowance conditions, kidney cancer is another disease that may qualify you for disability and Medicare benefits. The program assists those with severe medical conditions that meet SSA’s disability standards, allowing quick application processing and benefit payment. You can find more information about the Compassionate Allowance program by visiting www.socialsecurity.gov/compassionateallowances.
Drink plenty of water, go for checkups and if you think you may have a kidney disease, take action right away! As Ebie says, “quality of life is everything.”
For questions, online applications or to make an appointment to visit a SSA
office, call from 7am–7pm, Mon–Fri:
1-800-772-1213 (toll free) | 1-800-325-0778 (TTY)
www.socialsecurity.gov
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