Crohn's isn't recognized as a disability?

Crohns can be a disability and is covered by the ADA. What makes you say it isn't?

Having a mild or even moderate Crohn's woudn't qualify you into the disability category. You need to have a severe case of Crohn's such as mutiple sugeries and a large part of intestines removed to be call be "disabled", I guess.

I think it also has to do with low body weight.

Hi I'm Kriste and i live in shreveport, Louisiana. After the doctors put me on methodone years ago I was approved for disability. There was no way I could drive or even function being on that med. I did all the paperwork and once I was approved I got off methodone. If you cant take care of yourself how are we going to work for ANYONE??? We cant work around the house and keep it clean half the times. Keep tring but yes if pep only knew what we went through with our problems they WOULDN'T DENY US!!

I agree that the disability process can be really irritating and sometimes it seems to make no sense. I just wanted to let you know that it isn't just crohn's patients that have a problem getting it. I know several people that my agency works with that have been denied disability and can not work. One has crohn's, and he doesn't have insurance because he can't keep a job long enough to get it, because he ends up sick so much. He has had trouble with disability because he doesn't have a primary doctor with all his records, he sees whichever doctor the er has or sends him to temporarily, and there is no doctor to help with letters of explanation. It's really sad, he's started self-medicating with alcohol and other things and he is going downhill. I really wish they could fix this whole healthcare/disability system so it would really help people instead of just adding more and more stress to their lives. Sorry, I got off on a tangent there! I wanted to say that there are people with back problems, other auto-immune disorders, emotional disabilities, mental health issues, even developmental delays that have to fight for disability.

Who told you that the government (I assume your are talking about the U.S. government) does not consider Crohn's disease to not be a disability? This is simply not true and needs to be corrected with that person. I am on S.S.D.I. for Crohn's disease and am considered disabled by the U.S. government. It was not an easy process to get approved, but I was approved after the first appeal and have not had a problem with them since. In fact, I have been treated better by the Social Security Disability people than my Work disability people. I was also approved for full medicare and prescription part D benefits if I wanted them. As for the weight factor being part of the equation, that is also off because I weigh 200 lbs and am 6 ft, so I am not very skinny or overweight.
The major factors in getting approved are how this disease has taken away your quality of life and what steps you have gone through and failed in getting this disease under control. Before I even applied for SSDI, I had been under my work long term disability for 3 1/2 years. I have had 8 surgeries during this time, but not one was a resection or anything to that someone would automatically recognize as a Crohn's surgery, even though all were Crohn's related. It also helped to have all of my doctors on board with me and recommending that I apply for S.S.D.I. before I applied. Do not be discouraged if you are turned down your first or even first few times that you apply. This happens to almost everyone, in order to weed out those that are just trying to work the system. If you have the option of working with a law firm during the process, I recommend it. These people may take some of the money that you will get in back pay, but they know what they are doing and at least you will get approved.

Oh Dear, it sounds like alot of you guys get it hard with your benefit system. I am sorry to hear that, I haven't tried for it in the UK, but they have recently changed the process here. It nopw asks what task you can do instead of what you cannot. I know, it is stupid to ask these type of questions to people that are ill and can just about manage to get out of bed in the morning.

I really hope that you guys have more luck getting the benefit and can then start to look into your own recovery.

gachrons, well said.EXCELLENT point! If people without the DD had it, I would love to see them write to the paper and say the same things. I bet when they get the flu they be off for a month of benefits an all.

Those comments would upset me too, what is wrong with people? I think there just isn't enough awareness about IBD out there. Just based off my own personal experience, a lot of people think it's just like IBS. Or that it's mild, and no big deal. They just have no clue about what we go through.

My DH was talking to someone he deals with for work just a few days ago, who had just had surgery in August. He had just mentioned it was bowel surgery, for UC. So they got to talking, and I think it even made my DH understand things better. He's seen what I go through, and is really great about everything. But hearing about it from someone else, and how they have gone through all the same stuff (mis-diagnosis, numerous doctors, complications, medications ect...) really made it hit home for him I think.

I think we somehow need to get the message out more.

Crohn's is a recognized disability in Canada. But just like the US, some people have more difficulty getting disability. I think what throws people off are the questions on the forms that ask what your abilities are. The best way to deal with these questions is to think of what can you commit to doing on a regular daily basis.

Like how much weight can you lift? Think of the amount you can lift no matter how bad you feel. That's what you can commit to.

Another way to think is being at a job interview and flaring with CD. If you told the interviewer that you had crohn's disease and it was flaring presently, do you think they will hire you? Not a chance. They know your health will affect your performance, attitude, etc. It's just the way it is with a serious chronic illness.

When answering questions on forms, don't sugar coat or be wishy washy. If some days/hours are better than others, you must go by the bad days/hours because they are the ones that will intefere with your job and daily living.

I just wanted to let you know that I am currently receiving SSDI/SSI due to Crohn's. I went ahead and got a lawyer before I applied or anything. They denied me 2 times, and then sent it to an appeals court with copies of my medical records, or should I say medical NOVELS, lol. Having the attorney take care of the little things I didn't understand was WELL worth the money. It ended up costing me about $765.00, which was paid out of my back-pay.

The catch with all of this is that you can't be disabled AND working, which is crap if you ask me. I was thankful enough to have enough savings and large enough credit limits to get through it all. In this economy, I don't know how a regular person would do it. My mother helped me ALOT, too.

The main thing is to BE PERSISTANT! (sp?)

They deny EVERYONE the first time around. It's so darn frustrating though. I'm sorry you're having to go through this, but know that there is hope.

If it would benefit you, I can try and dig up my legal paperwork so you might be able to use it to your advantage.....