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Crohn’s disease causes nausea, fatigue, inflammation, and other symptoms that make it hard to work, but can this health issue qualify you for Social Security Disability benefits?
Only when you can show Social Security that your Crohn’s disease is severe enough to stop you from working any job, not just your current one, for a long time—12 months or more.
Getting denied disability benefits is common, especially for a condition like Crohn’s disease that other people don’t understand and often think is mild enough that you could still work. If you were denied and you’re not sure what to do, we can help.
The Upstate New York disability lawyers of Lachman & Gorton Law Office have been helping people win the disability benefits they deserve for 35 years.
You don’t have to fight this denial on your own. Work with us.
Applying for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits is a lot of work, but appealing is even more complicated.
The disability attorneys of Lachman & Gorton have experience helping people with Crohn’s disease appeal their disability denials. We know the special care this type of case requires.
Let us help you win life-changing financial relief.
It’s always difficult to win disability benefits, but it can be especially hard to get approved for an ailment like Crohn’s disease.
This health issue is hard for others to see, and it varies in severity from person to person.
You’ll need clear documentation that you suffer from symptoms like these:
People might hear some of these symptoms and think it’s just something you take an occasional sick day for. How do you show that these Crohn’s disease symptoms make it impossible to work permanently?
You achieve that partly by talking with your doctor openly and honestly, even about situations that are sensitive or embarrassing. That helps your doctor document how your Crohn’s disease seriously disrupts your days.
You can then back up your claim with objective evidence—from sources other than yourself, like doctors—to qualify for benefits.
This evidence can include:
Even if you have a significant amount of evidence and you think it’s obvious that your health issues stop you from working, you could still get denied benefits.
Don’t despair. Our disability lawyers for people in Binghamton, Elmira and across Upstate New York can help you appeal.
Schedule a FREE consultation to get started.
One of the biggest challenges of claiming benefits for Crohn’s disease is that not everyone with this health issue meets Social Security’s standards for disability.
Millions of people suffer from Crohn’s disease. For most, it’s not severe enough to stop them from working a substantial amount at any available job.
An important part of your claim is going to be what Social Security calls your residual functional capacity (RFC).
This is how Social Security measures the capabilities you still have despite your Crohn’s disease and its symptoms.
A claims examiner could agree that your current job is too mentally or physically taxing for you, but you could do another type of work.
This can sink your claim because you can only qualify for disability if you can’t work any job.
A Lachman & Gorton disability lawyer can guide you in getting a proper assessment of your RFC when you have Crohn’s disease.
This medical condition can interfere with your sleep schedule, wearing you down and making any job difficult.
Constant nausea and stomach issues that interrupt your day can make it impossible to continue on work tasks.
Maybe on some days you don’t even want to leave your home because inflammation in your eyes and skin has made you self-conscious about how you look.
You need to be clear about how your symptoms affect you in your daily life when you claim disability for Crohn’s disease. Our Binghamton Social Security Disability attorneys can help you do that.
We’ll strengthen your case that you can’t work any job, even less physically and mentally stressful ones.
You can feel like you did everything right with your Crohn’s disease disability claim and still get denied benefits.
Only around 35% to 40% of initial disability claims get approved in New York. If you get denied SSDI or SSI, you’re far from alone.
Now’s the time to talk to a lawyer and get your appeal started. The Social Security Disability attorneys of Lachman & Gorton know how to make your case to the Social Security Administration (SSA) after a denial.
We’ll walk you through all four stages of appeal:
Step #1: Reconsideration
The first step is asking Social Security for reconsideration. Another examiner will look at your claim and could award you disability benefits.
Chances of success are low at this stage—around 10% to 15% according to recent data from the SSA.
Step #2: Disability Hearing
A hearing in front of an administrative law judge (ALJ) is often an applicant’s best chance at securing benefits.
Appearing in front of a judge can be intimidating, but our Binghamton disability lawyers will guide you through it. We’ll prepare you for the kinds of questions to expect, and we’ll help you tell your story.
We’ll also cross-examine any expert vocational or medical witnesses from Social Security who may testify and cast doubt on your disability claim.
Step #3: Appeals Council at Social Security
If you aren’t awarded benefits at your hearing, asking the Appeals Council to review your case is the next step. This stage is about identifying legal errors with the hearing decision, not introducing new evidence or more information about your health issues to your claim.
The SSA Appeals Council can agree with the decision turning you down, disagree with it and award you benefits, or send you back for another hearing.
Step #4: Filing a Suit in Federal Court
This is the highest level of appeals, and one that few lawyers handle. A federal court appeal means taking your Crohn’s disease disability claim out of the Social Security system entirely and getting an outside perspective.
You submit a legal brief, the SSA can respond, and then you can respond to the SSA. It’s unlikely that you’ll need to actually go to court to make arguments.
Appealing a denied disability claim won’t be easy, especially for an ailment like Crohn’s disease that isn’t always thought of as a work-stopping health problem.
That’s why you should work with a law firm that knows how Social Security Disability appeals work.
We don’t just take on the simplest disability benefits claims. Disability attorney Peter Gorton takes over 75 cases to Federal District Court, the highest level of appeals, each year.
The Lachman & Gorton team is ready to support you through this entire process.