Am I Entitled To Company Health Insurance
If the company offers health insurance to all of its employees who work the same number of hours that you work, you must be offered the same coverage. Read the policy carefully to see if it covers treatment for kidney disease. If the policy says there is a waiting period for employees with existing health conditions, there could be a delay in your coverage.
If you had health insurance less than 63 days before getting new coverage, you may have met all or part of the waiting period. Ask your old insurance company to give you a Certificate of Credible Coverage and give it to your new health plans administrator. Your state insurance commissioners office can tell you more about the laws covering group health insurance companies.
What Medical Conditions Qualify For Long
Most medical conditions can qualify for long-term disability. However, some long-term disability plans will exclude certain medical conditions.
Assuming you dont have an excluded condition, then you can qualify for long-term disability benefits if your medical conditions prevents you from doing your regular work. You wont qualify to apply right away. Most long-term disability plans require you to be continuously disabled for a number of weeks before you are eligible to apply. This called the waiting period or elimination period.
The most common length of the waiting period is 17 weeks, but this can be different for each disability plan.
Most long-term disability plans have a two tier requirement for disability. For the first 2 years you can qualify for benefits if your medical condition prevents you from doing your regular work.
However, after 2 years, you can only qualify for long-term disability benefits if your medical conditions prevents you from doing any gainful work .
Following is an example of a long-term disability requirement fround in a group long-term disablity plan. This is only an example and these requirements and wording vary from plan to plan.
An employee is entitled to payment of a long term disability benefit if the employee presents proof of claim acceptable that:
- the employee became disabled while covered
- total disability has continued beyond the elimination period
- the employee has been folloing appropriate treatment for the disability condition
Starting A Disability Claim
The Social Security Administration provides two different programs for those seeking disability benefits. Under the Supplemental Security Income program, the SSA looks mainly at the severity of the disability and the financial neediness of the applicant. Under the Social Security disability insurance program, the SSA looks at the severity of the disability and whether the individual has paid enough taxes in to the Social Security system.
Social Security claimants with kidney failure requiring dialysis or a kidney transplant may be entitled to a quicker disability determination process. Call the SSA at 800-772-1213 to set up an appointment to apply for disability, or, if you’re applying for SSDI , go online to www.ssa.gov.
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Contacting A Social Security Attorney
If you are considering filing for disability benefits, you may also want to consider speaking with a disability attorney. They can help when filling out applications, keeping paperwork organized, and aiding you in the appeals process if necessary.
Before starting your application, consider speaking with a disability attorney today for help getting the monthly benefits you deserve.
Medical Conditions That Qualify For Disability Benefits
You may be wondering what are the medical conditions that qualify for disability? And is my diagnosis on that list? We give a list of medical conditions below, but as you will learn, any medical condition can potentially qualify for disability benefits. The focus is always on the extent of the disability caused by your medical condition. And whether the extent of your disability meets the requirements for various disability benefits plans and programs. This article lists common disabling conditions. I then review the eligibility criteria for the most common disability benefits. So, you can know if your medical condition can qualify for benefits.
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Getting Help With Your Claim
While qualifying for disability is often clear-cut with kidney disease, not all applicants experience a quick or smooth case review. Work closely with your doctor to document your illness and to ensure the SSA has the information and medical records they need to evaluate your claim. You may wish to seek help of an experienced Social Security advocate or attorney as well, especially if your kidney disease prevents you from working but does not meet one of the Blue Book listings mentioned above.
What Medical Conditions Qualify For Short
To qualify for short-term disability your medical condition must prevent you from doing your regular job duties. You must show how the symptoms or impairments from your medical condition interfere with your ability to perform you job duties.
To do this you will need to have an official list of your job duties. Then you can get your doctor review the list of duties and confirm that you cannot perform the majority of these duties because of your medical condition.
Most short term disaibltiy plans will require you to be continuously disabled for 7 days or so before you can qualify for benefits. This is called a waiting period or elimination period.
Following is an example of typical wording of the disability requirement for a short-term disability plan. Please note this is only an example, the exact wording is different for each plan:
An employee is entitled to payment of a short-term disability benefit if that employee proves that:
- the employee became totally disabled while covered
- the total disability has continued beyoned the elimintation period
- the employee has been following appropriate treatment for the disabling condition
An employee wil be considered totally disabled while the employee is continuously unable due to an illness to do the essentional duties of the employees own occupation in any setting.
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Inordinate Amount Of Time
An inordinate amount of time is a clinical judgment made by a medical practitioner if they observe a recognizable difference in the time it takes an individual to perform an activity or function in the listed categories, even with therapy and the use of appropriate devices and medication. Generally, that difference must be at least three times longer than is required by persons of similar age who do not have an impairment in the particular category.
How Can I Get Approved For Disability Benefits For Kidney Failure
Phone 1-888-939-4692
A chronic kidney disease diagnosis can seemingly come out of nowhere. Patients often dont know they have it until they experience kidney failure or kidney impairment shows up in routine blood work. Medical treatments can slow disease progression, but there is no known cure for chronic kidney conditions. Eventually, end-stage renal disease may prevent you from working. The good news is that Social Security Disability benefits might help you pay the bills.
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Do You Have To Go To Hospital For Dialysis
However, nearly three-fourths of patients begin dialysis inside of a hospital and some dont live to receive outpatient treatment. This makes the new findings more realistic, the researchers say. They suggest that time-consuming dialysis might not make sense for patients who dont have long to live.
Two: Consult The Blue Book And Retrieve Test Results To Demonstrate Your Disability
To qualify medically for disability benefits, applicants must be considered totally and permanently disabled. This term is used by the SSA to describe people whose severe physical or mental disorder is expected to a) last longer than one year, or b) result in death. To determine this, the SSA compares all applicants to the Blue Book, which contains a list of all Social Security-approved disorders.
Dialysis is listed under Section 6: Genitourinary Disorders – Adult under subsection 6.03: Chronic kidney disease. In order to qualify, applicants must have a diagnosis of CKD and receive regular hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis. This dialysis must have lasted or be expected to last for a period of at least 12 months in order to qualify. Because the SSA recognizes the various ways dialysis changes a persons life, it is extremely uncommon for someone on dialysis not to qualify medically.
It is also important to include medical documentation not just from the time your dialysis started, but from the time your kidney troubles began. Certain people qualify for disability benefits without having dialysis, so you may be eligible to receive retroactive payments for the entire period prior to dialysis during which you qualified.
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Working With Kidney Disease: Rehabilitation And Employment
Many people with chronic kidney disease or kidney failure work full time or part time. Some go to school or take care of their homes and families. Others do volunteer work, have hobbies, or have regular exercise routines. If you have kidney disease or kidney failure, you may have questions about working.
What Medical Conditions Qualify For Disability Benefits
Any medical condition can qualify for disability benefits. Generally speaking, most disability benefits programs in Canada do not give benefits based on a medical diagnosis. Rather, they provide benefits based on the level of disability caused by the medical condition. So the focus will always be on the level of disability caused by your medical condition, rather than only the name of your medical condition or diagnosis. To qualify for benefits, you must show that the level of disability from your medical condition meets the eligibility criteria of the disability benefits plan in question.
Following is a list of common medical conditions that qualify for disability benefits. For each of these conditions we discuss the unique challenges you will face.
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How To Apply For Disability Benefits For Kidney Dialysis
Kidney dialysis can be exhausting from repeated hospital visits to the financial difficulties it causes, dialysis and related kidney problems can be a struggle to cope with.
Fortunately, the U.S. government recognizes the strain of dialysis and may be able to help. If you rely on dialysis to live, it may be in your best interest to apply for disability benefits. Social Security benefits were created to help people in need, and your case may just be the next to qualify.
What Medical Conditions Qualify For Cpp Disability
Any medical condition can qualify for CPP disability if it prevents you from doing gainful employment. You must also prove that your disability is permanent.
If you suffer from a terminal illness, then CPP disability will fast-track your application.
Following is the offical requirement for CPP disability benefits. Your medical condition must cause a level of disaiblity to meet the following requirement:
Section 42. When a person is deemed disabled For the purposes of this Act,
a person shall be considered to be disabled only if he is determined in the prescribed manner to have a severe and prlonged mental or physical disability, and for the purposes of this paragraph,
a disability is severe only if by reason thereof the person in respect of whom the determination is made is incapable of regularly pursing any substantially gainful employment, and
a disability is prolonged only if it is determined in the prescribed manner that the disability is likely to be long continued and of indefinite duration or is likely to result in death
In common terms, you can only qualify for CPP disability if your medical condition causes permanent disablity that prevents you from regularly doing any employment.
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Appealing A Denied Ssdi Claim
If your disability application has been denied, you can file a request for reconsideration with the SSA. At this point, if you’re suffering from worsening kidney disease, you should probably contact a lawyer to help with your appeal. Don’t let lack of money to pay your attorney stop you from hiring one. Disability lawyers are paid out of your back payment on the eventual disability award you’ll receive if you don’t get an award, the attorney doesn’t get paid.
Financial Assistance For Patients
Financial support from the Australian government can help you cover dialysis costs, travel costs, and carer support costs. To find out exactly what youre eligible for, please speak to your social worker or healthcare team.
- For remote and rural patients you may be able to recoup travel and accommodation costs for medical treatment far away from home. This is called the Patient Assistance Transport Scheme , and the amount of assistance varies per state. For more information, you can view this Guide to Patient Assistance Transport Schemes compiled by the National Rural Health Alliance.
- For patients doing home dialysis you may be eligible for concessions on your water and electricity bills. These vary by state and territory. You may also be eligible for the Essential Medical Equipment Payment program that helps to cover costs associated with running your dialysis machine. View our financial and general support for dialysis guide for more information.
- For patients requiring local dialysis-related travel you may be able to apply for financial assistance or transport assistance. Support can include taxi vouchers, corporate shuttles or private cars. Please check with your individual unit about what is offered in your location.
For patients requiring carers you may be eligible for carer assistance. To find out, call Centrelink on 132 717. You can also refer to the Department of Human Services website.
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If I Am Working Now Can I Continue To Work As I Begin Treatment
Some people continue to work full time as they begin treatment. Others switch to a part-time or flexible schedule. Some people ask for jobs that are less physically demanding.
You may need to work different hours to go to hemodialysis. Or you may need a clean, private area where you can do peritoneal dialysis.
You should feel free to talk to your employer about job changes that might make it easier for you to work. Remember, your employer probably wont know what changes you might need if you dont ask for them.
Your employer may not know much about kidney disease or how it may affect your abilities. There might be concerns about how much work you can do and how much time off you will need. There could also be concerns about how much your health benefits will cost the company. You may want to ask your doctor or another member of your healthcare team to talk with your employer about these. A little information about your illness, abilities, and limitations can do a lot to ease an employers concerns. Here are a few of the topics you and your employer may want to discuss:
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Changingyour work schedule to allow for dialysis and healthcare visits
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Making up time taken off for medicalreasons
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Physical limitations, if any
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What to do in case of an emergency
Employers may not know about tax credits they can get for making changes to the workplace.
How To Apply For Ssdi And Ssi
Applying for disability benefits can be done online on the SSAs website or by calling their toll-free number, 1-800-772-1213. SSA representatives can make an appointment for an application to be taken over the telephone or at any convenient Social Security office.
People who are deaf or hard of hearing may call SSAs toll-free “TTY” number, 1-800-325-0778, between 8:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. on Monday through Friday.
The SSA recommends having the following information on hand to make the application process easier:
Information About You
- Your date and place of birth and Social Security number
- The name, Social Security number and date of birth or age of your current spouse and any former spouse. You should also know the dates and places of marriage and dates of divorce or death
- Names and dates of birth of your minor children
- Your bank or other financial institution’s Routing Transit Number and the account number, if you want the benefits electronically deposited into your bank account
Information About Your Medical Condition
- Name, address and phone number of someone SSA can contact who knows about your medical conditions and can help with your application
- Detailed information about your medical illnesses, injuries or conditions:
- Names, addresses, phone numbers, patient ID numbers and dates of treatment for all doctors, hospitals and clinics
- Names of medicines you are taking and who prescribed them and
- Names and dates of medical tests you have had and who sent you for them.
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Benefits For Claimants With A Kidney Transplant
A kidney transplant gives an individual 12 months of disability automatically, after that the first year, Social Security will evaluate ongoing disability eligibility upon an individual’s residual impairments. When Social Security determines if an individual has had medical improvement post-transplantation, the agency will consider things like kidney rejection episodes, renal infection frequency, side effect of immunosuppressants and corticosteriod treatment, other systemic infections, neuropathy, or other organ system deterioration. Social Security can also consider the fact that an individual has an absence of symptoms, signs, or laboratory findings that are indicative of kidney failure when making a medical improvement determination.
How To Qualify For Disability With Kidney Dialysis
The SSA screens all disability applications using the Blue Book, which is their official listing of qualifying impairments. If you are currently undergoing dialysis that is expected to last for at least 12 months, and you have the medical evidence to back up your claim, you will automatically be approved for benefits.
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How Dialysis Machine Patients Qualify For Ssdi
In order to qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance with dialysis, you must meet the following requirements:
- Your treatment must have lasted or be expected to last for at least 12 months.
- If you are undergoing chronic hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis, your CKD may meet the SSAs definition of disability before you started dialysis. The SSA will determine your disability based on your case record.
- You must provide documentation from an accepted medical source. This should detail your current dialysis, and indicate that your dialysis will be ongoing.
Because ESRD is a life-threatening condition, expedited SSDI payments are available. The file must contain a completed CMS-2728-U3 End Stage Renal Disease Medical Evidence Report.