Facts about Gastritis and Filing for DisabilityThese selected pages answer some of the most basic, but also some of the most important, questions for individuals who are considering filing a claim for disability benefits. Facts about the condition 1) When the lining of the stomach becomes inflamed, it is known as gastritis. Though it is usually treated easily, in rare cases it can lead to stomach cancer or ulcers. 2) Gastritis can be caused by a myriad of issues, including drinking too much alcohol, smoking, taking NSAIDs such as ibuprofen or aspirin which can irritate the stomach lining, and bacteria in the stomach that causes infection, such as Helicobacter pylori bacteria. Other causes include bile reflux, viral infection, autoimmune disorders and an overabundance of gastric acid secretion, which can happen due to high amounts of stress. 3) Acute gastritis may happen quickly and be treated quickly, but chronic gastritis comes on slowly and can last many months or even years. 4) Symptoms of gastritis include nausea, vomiting, belching, heartburn, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, dark stools, and abdominal indigestion. Sometimes vomiting may include blood or be of a gritty consistency. 5) To diagnose gastritis most physicians use a stool test, a blood count test, or a gastroscopy blood test. 6) The first line of treatment for gastritis is antacids, but prescribed medications that help the stomach produce less acid are also used. In many cases a combination of antibiotics and a proton-pump inhibitor are effective or treating gastritis. 7) When patients with gastritis have pernicious anemia (a B-12 deficiency) they are usually given injections of B-12. 8) Lifestyle changes such as eating healthy foods, losing weight, managing stress and exercising can help manage gastritis. It is important that those with gastritis eat small meals in a relaxed environment, and for them to eat at regular times. It is also important that they limit or exclude fatty foods, fried foods, acidic foods and spicy foods from the diet. Quitting smoking, excluding alcohol from the diet, and avoiding NSAID drugs are also important for the management of gastritis. Losing weight helps to reduce symptoms in most patients, while exercise helps the body to stimulate the intestinal muscles and speed up food digestion. Qualifying for disability benefits with this condition Whether or not you qualify for disability and, as a result, are approved for disability benefits will depend entirely on the information obtained from your medical records. This includes whatever statements and treatment notes that may have been obtained from your treating physician (a doctor who has a history of treating your condition and is, therefore, qualified to comment as to your condition and prognosis). It also includes discharge summaries from hospital stays, reports of imaging studies (such as xrays, MRIs, and CT scans) and lab panels (i.e. bloodwork) as well as reports from physical therapy. In many disability claims, it may also include the results of a report issued by an independent physician who examines you at the request of the Social Security Administration.
Qualifying for SSD or SSI benefits will also depend on the information obtained from your vocational, or work, history if you are an adult, or academic records if you are a minor-age child. In the case of adults, your work history information will allow a disability examiner (examiners make decisions at the initial claim and reconsideration appeal levels, but not at the hearing level where a judges decides the outcome of the case) to A) classify your past work, B) determine the physical and mental demands of your past work, C) decide if you can go back to a past job, and D) whether or not you have the ability to switch to some type of other work. The important thing to keep in mind is that the social security administration does not award benefits based on simply having a condition, but, instead, will base an approval or denial on the extent to which a condition causes functional limitations. Functional limitations can be great enough to make work activity not possible (or, for a child, make it impossible to engage in age-appropriate activities).
Why are so many disability cases lost at the disability application and reconsideration appeal levels? There are several reasons but here are just two: 1) Social Security makes no attempt to obtain a statement from a claimant's treating physician. By contrast, at the hearing level, a claimant's disability attorney or disability representative will generally obtain and present this type of statement to a judge. Note: it is not enough for a doctor to simply state that their patient is disabled. To satisy Social Security's requirements, the physician must list in what ways and to what extent the individual is functionally limited. For this reason, many representatives and attorneys request that the physician fill out and sign a specialized medical source statement that captures the correct information. Solid Supporting statements from physicians easily make the difference between winning or losing a disability case at the hearing level. 2) Prior to the hearing level, a claimant will not have the opportunity to explain how their condition limits them, nor will their attorney or representative have the opportunity to make a presentation based on the evidence of the case. This is because at the initial levels of the disability system, a disability examiner decides the case without meeting the claimant. The examiner may contact the claimant to gather information on activities of daily living and with regard to medical treatment or past jobs, but usually nothing more. At the hearing level, however, presenting an argument for approval based on medical evidence that has been obtained and submitted is exactly what happens. About the Author: Tim Moore is a former Social Security Disability Examiner in North Carolina, has been interviewed by the NY Times and the LA Times on the disability system, and is an Accredited Disability Representative (ADR) in North Carolina. For assistance on a disability application or Appeal in NC, click here. Most popular topics on SSDRC.com Social Security Disability in North Carolina Common Mistakes to avoid after being denied for Disability Tips to Prepare for Filing for Social Security Disability or SSI Advice to Win SSD and SSI Benefit Claims Social Security Disability SSI Questions What is the difference between Social Security Disability and SSI? How to get disability for depression Getting disability for fibromyalgia SSI disability for children with ADHD What is the Application Process for Social Security Disability and SSI? Social Security Disability SSI Exam tips More Social Security Disability SSI Questions What makes you eligible for Social Security Disability or SSI? Related pages: The SSD, Social Security Disability Date of Application Social Security Disability denied for the second time Social Security Disability SSI Approval and Denial Rates How the SSDI disability decision is made SSI reconsideration SSI disablity application requirements |
