Watching your loved one fade away is one of the hardest things you have ever had to do as a parent. Nothing you say or do makes a difference. You prepare meals your child used to love, plead with him or her to eat just one bite, but nothing makes a difference. You are watching your child grow smaller and frailer with each passing day.
Eating disorders are among the most difficult psychological issues to overcome, and they often take years of intense and incremental therapies. Along the way, an eating disorder can wreak havoc on a person’s body. To make matters worse, seeking Social Security Disability benefits for an eating disorder can be very difficult.
Symptoms may qualify for disability
You may be unable to work because you are caring for your child during collateral illnesses, therapy and hospital stays. This does not include the mounting expense of medical care and counselors, most of whom may recommend ongoing or costly inpatient treatment. Disability benefits could help defray those costs and provide quality treatment for your loved one.
Even though you will not find anorexia, bulimia or other eating issues in the list of Social Security Administration conditions that automatically qualify your child for disability benefits, with careful documentation, you may be able to prove that your child has the medical equivalent of an eligible disability based on the debilitating symptoms he or she suffers; for example:
- Extreme weight loss resulting from a digestive disorder
- Anemia
- Heart failure or arrhythmias
- Endocrine damage
- Bleeding in the intestines
Comprehensive and detailed documentation and expert testimony will be crucial to making a case for benefits. This will consist of medical records that include every examination, test result, prescription, referral and diagnosis you can gather to help you match your child’s symptoms to the disorders listed in the SSA’s list of qualifying conditions.
You may already feel as if you are fighting a losing battle, and the thought of undertaking one more fight may be more than you can bear. However, you do not have to go through this alone. There are advocates for Alabama families of victims of eating disorders and experts who can recommend effective treatment options. You can also rely on a compassionate legal professional to assist you in presenting a solid case to the SSA to seek the benefits your child needs.