Digestive System

With such a wide variation of disorders and conditions, the Social Security Administration created a guide for their own representatives and other physicians to determine if an applicant potentially qualifies for disability benefits. This guide, called the Blue Book, divides general impairments into 14 categories where each category lays out the restrictions and specifications of common disorders. The fifth category out of the 14 consists of impairments with the digestive system.

This section is divided into 6 broad subsections where each subsection is specific toward a particular condition or conditions. If your condition is not within one of the subsections, you may still potentially qualify for benefits. Below is a list of the 6 subsections:

Bluebook Categories:

  • Chronic Liver Disease
  • Gastrointestinal Hemorrhaging
  • Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
  • Liver Transplants
  • Short Bowel Syndrome
  • Weight Loss from Digestive Disorders

Other Conditions evaluated under this category:

  • Bowel Incontinence
  • Cirrhosis
  • Crohn's Disease
  • Colitis
  • Diverticulitis
  • Dysautonomia
  • Gastroparesis
  • GERD
  • Hepatitis
  • Involuntary Weight Loss
  • Kidney Failure
  • Liver Disease
  • Primary Biliary Cirrhosis
  • Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis
  • Stomach Pain
  • Ulcers
  • Whipple's Disease
  • Wilson's Disease