Genitourinary Impairments

If your kidneys aren’t working as they should, your body will suffer from a build-up of waste and water products. You may suffer from complications and symptoms that are troublesome and sometimes disabling. Genitourinary disorders could lead to chronic pain, severe weight loss, and extreme fatigue.

Common genitourinary conditions which fall under this section of the Blue Book include:

• Chronic glomerulonephritis
• Chronic obstructive uropathy
• Diabetic nephropathy
• Hereditary nephropathies, such as Alport Syndrome
• Hypertensive renal vascular disease

Your eligibility is based on your specific diagnosis, your impairments, and your symptoms. An attorney can help you file your claim so you can start getting the monthly benefits that you need to cover the costs of medical care and living expenses. If you don’t meet the criteria of a listing, you can still be approved for disability benefits.

Conditions To Qualify

There are five types of evidence generally considered in genitourinary conditions. These include:

• Medical history – In most cases, the SSA requires at least three months’ worth of records to approve a disability claim.
• Records of your renal function before starting dialysis.
• Medical evidence of nephrotic syndrome.
• Copies of any related biopsies and the examination of all related specimens. A statement by the medical professionals who conducted the tests can be substituted if the actual examination findings aren’t available but should contain a thorough description of the procedures’’ results.
• A complete accounting of all types of therapy attempted, your response to the therapies, and all side effects of the therapies or treatments. This should include how long the treatments and their effects are expected to last.

Nephrotic Syndrome and Kidney Transplants

Nephrotic syndrome and kidney transplants are handled a bit differently than other genitourinary conditions. Kidney transplant recipients will automatically be considered disabled for a year following their transplant.

Those with nephrotic syndrome which persists three months or more despite following prescribed therapies are approved if the serum albumin and proteinuria levels fall within SSA guidelines.