Digestive disorders can cause pain, fatigue, urgent bathroom needs and other symptoms that make a regular work schedule difficult to maintain. If a gastrointestinal condition prevents you from working, Crowe & Shanahan can help you pursue Social Security Disability benefits. Our St. Louis digestive disorder disability lawyers represent disabled workers throughout eastern Missouri and southern Illinois.
Our St. Louis law firm focuses entirely on Social Security Disability matters. You receive straightforward guidance and direct access to an attorney who takes time to understand your condition, treatment and employment history. At our law office, you are treated as a person rather than a case number.
To discuss your case with one of our St. Louis digestive disorders disability attorneys, please call 314-231-6660 today. Or, you can contact us online.
A digestive disorder may interfere with your ability to remain at a workstation, complete tasks without interruption or maintain reliable attendance. These limitations can be especially serious for workers who have scheduled breaks, limited access to a restroom or duties that cannot be paused without notice.
Conditions and symptoms that may support a Social Security Disability claim include:
Digestive disorders are one of many medical conditions that may qualify for disability benefits. A diagnosis alone does not establish eligibility. The Social Security Administration must evaluate whether your condition prevents substantial gainful activity and has lasted, or is expected to last, for at least 12 continuous months.
Depending on your work record and financial circumstances, you may qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits or Supplemental Security Income. A St. Louis disability attorney can review which program may apply to your circumstances.
The Social Security Administration evaluates gastrointestinal conditions under Section 5.00, Digestive Disorders, of its Listing of Impairments, commonly called the Blue Book. The Blue Book contains medical requirements used to determine whether a condition is severe enough to qualify at the listing stage of the disability review process.
Section 5.00 addresses several digestive conditions, including:
To meet a Blue Book listing, your medical evidence must satisfy the requirements for the applicable condition. Depending on the disorder, the Social Security Administration may review laboratory findings, imaging, endoscopy results, hospitalization records, nutritional support and documented complications.
Meeting a listing is not the only way to qualify. If your condition does not meet or medically equal a Blue Book listing, the agency may assess your residual functional capacity. Residual functional capacity, often shortened to RFC, means the most you can still do in a work setting despite your limitations.
Our lawyers examine both possible paths. Our attorneys review whether the evidence supports a Section 5.00 listing and whether symptoms prevent you from performing your former job or adjusting to other work.
Medical records should explain more than the name of your condition. They should help show how frequently symptoms occur, how long they last and how they affect your ability to complete a normal workday and workweek.
Relevant evidence may include:
For some workers, the central issue is the need for frequent or unpredictable restroom breaks. Others may experience fatigue, pain, weakness or medication side effects that make it difficult to concentrate, remain on task or attend work consistently.
Our St. Louis disability lawyers help clients organize medical evidence and explain these functional effects. An attorney from our law firm can also identify gaps in the record that may make it harder for an examiner to understand why you cannot maintain employment.
A denial does not necessarily end your claim. The first appeal is generally a request for reconsideration, which asks the Social Security Administration to conduct another review. If the reconsideration decision is also unfavorable, you may request a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge, commonly called an ALJ.
Administrative Law Judges conduct disability hearings through the Social Security Administration’s Office of Hearings Operations, or OHO. The hearing office assigned to a claim generally depends on where the claimant lives and which office has jurisdiction over the case.
Claims from the St. Louis area may be handled through the St. Louis Office of Hearings Operations. Some clients from eastern Missouri or southern Illinois may be assigned to another hearing office based on their residence and the Social Security Administration’s jurisdictional rules.
A disability hearing is a formal stage of the appeal. The judge may review your medical records, employment history, testimony and statements from medical or vocational experts. Hearings may be conducted in person, by telephone or through an approved video format.
Our St. Louis attorneys prepare clients for questions about their treatment, symptoms, daily activities and past work. Our lawyers also review the hearing file, submit relevant evidence and present an argument explaining why the medical and vocational evidence supports disability benefits.
Digestive disorder claims often depend on details that are easy to overlook. A medical chart may confirm a diagnosis without explaining how frequently you need a restroom, how long an episode lasts or why you cannot remain at a workstation throughout the day.
Our law office may help by:
Our attorneys serve clients in St. Louis, eastern Missouri, the Metro East and southern Illinois. Because our law firm concentrates on Social Security Disability cases, our lawyers understand the medical evidence and procedural requirements that can affect a digestive disorder claim.
You do not have to manage a disability application or appeal alone. A lawyer can evaluate your medical evidence, work history and previous decisions before explaining the next step in the process.
If a digestive disorder prevents you from maintaining employment, speak with our St. Louis attorneys today. Our lawyers provide free evaluations to disabled workers throughout eastern Missouri and southern Illinois. Contact our law firm online to discuss your Social Security Disability claim.
We take pride in the strong professional and personal relationships we build with each client. You will meet with the attorney early on and that same attorney will be with you throughout the process. You can rely on us to give you honest advice about your options because this is the right thing to do.
As your advocates, we will remain by your side throughout the process, developing a strategy that fits your specific circumstances. Your legal and financial issues are unique, so we tailor our advice according to your situation. Many individuals and families have benefited from this legal approach.
