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How many times have you started to have a conversation with someone about Hepatitis C only to have it blow up in your face? Have you ever heard someone say something about Hep C that didn't seem quite right to you? You were probably right something was amiss. A discussion about Hepatitis C can...
As per Wikipedia, the definition of a stigma is as follows: "Stigma is a word that originally means a "sign", "point", or "branding mark"." Wikipedia goes on to call stigma "A badge of shame, a physical mark of infamy or disgrace." Damn that w...
Recently, the CDC (Center for Disease Control) issued a statement that all Baby Boomers should be tested for Hepatitis C. The question often comes up as to why this particular segment of people is so vulnerable. What does being born between 1945 and 1965 have to do with Hepatitis C? What was di...
Buyer Beware! There are several snake oil salesmen out there who are claiming to have cured their own Hepatitis C with herbs, supplements and parking lot gravel. Okay, maybe not the parking lot gravel but it might as well be. What you need to remember is that there are two different types of...
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Allsup explains disease impact, role of Social Security disability benefits for those with hepatitis C.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently reported that more than 2 million U. S. baby boomers—people born between 1945 and 1965—are infected with hepatitis C. Allsup, a nationwide provider of Social Security Disability Insurance(SSDI) representation, joins the CDC in encouraging baby boomers to get tested for the disease, which can lead to serious health risks and severe disability.
Hepatitis C is a life-threatening liver disease that can cause cancer, according to the CDC. In the report, CDC researchers noted that liver cancer is the fastest-growing cause of cancer-related deaths and the leading cause of liver transplants in the U.S.
The study reported that more than 15,000 Americans—mostly baby boomers—die each year from hepatitis C-related illnesses.
“In addition to liver cancer, an individual may develop a number of medical conditions secondary to the hepatitis C, including a mental disorder called hepatic encephalopathy, a worsening of the brain function that occurs when the liver is no longer able to remove toxic substances in the blood,” said Ed Swierczek, Allsup senior claimant representative.
Hepatitis C can cause severe impairments and make it impossible to work. Another example is scarring of the liver that can lead to cirrhosis. People experiencing severe impact from hepatitis C should determine their eligibility for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits and apply as soon as possible.
“Waiting to apply may cause individuals to lose their earned benefits,” Swierczek explained. “The Social Security Administration [SSA] only pays retroactive benefits for 12 months prior to the filing date. If a person is unable to work, applying for SSDI benefits is the first step to take to protect his or her financial standing.”
SSDI is a federally mandated disability insurance program overseen by the SSA. SSDI provides monthly benefits to individuals who are under full retirement age (age 65 or older) and who can no longer work because of a terminal illness or a severe disability that is expected to last 12 months or longer. Individuals pay for the federal insurance program through FICA taxes while working.
The SSA has a medical listing for chronic liver disease, and a five-step evaluation process for determining that someone is disabled.
Someone may not have chronic liver disease, but still be determined disabled because of the consequences of hepatitis C. “They may be so limited in their functioning by hepatitis C due to fatigue, mental changes and other limitations imposed by the disease that the remaining ability to function makes it impossible to work,” Swierczek explained.
CDC researchers estimate more than 800,000 people are infected with the virus and don’t know it. Known as a “silent epidemic,” hepatitis C can go undetected for many years. Early detection and treatment could save more than 120,000 lives.
The CDC study noted that one in 30 baby boomers might have been infected with the blood-borne virus during their teen years or as young adults after experimenting with intravenous drug use or high-risk sexual behavior. Hepatitis C also can be transmitted from mother-to-infant, unsafe medical practices and blood transfusions.
The virus can be controlled to reduce its effect on the liver, but there is no vaccine. The CDC said the best way to prevent hepatitis C is to avoid behaviors that can spread the disease.
To determine if you are eligible for Social Security disability benefits, call the Allsup Disability Evaluation Center at (800) 678-3276 for a free SSDI eligibility evaluation.
ABOUT ALLSUP
Allsup is a nationwide provider of Social Security disability, Medicare and Medicare Secondary Payer compliance services for individuals, employers and insurance carriers. Founded in 1984, Allsup employs more than 800 professionals who deliver specialized services supporting people with disabilities and seniors so they may lead lives that are as financially secure and as healthy as possible. The company is based in Belleville, Ill., near St. Louis. For more information, go to http://www.Allsup.com or visit Allsup on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/Allsupinc.
Please sign the ATC Salvage Therapy Petition Join us in asking Congressman Alcee Hastings and Congresswomen Maxine Waters to send a ‘Dear Colleague’ letter to Anthony Fauci, Director of NIAID, asking for the federal facilitation of apricitabine (ATC). ATC is a phase III nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) that has been shown to be safe and effective in treating people with HIV. It works against viruses that are resistant to several other nukes and could ...
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Paige Rawl is 17 and HIV positive, but while her life has been shaped by HIV it isn't ruled by it. When Paige Rawl starts her senior year at Indianapolis’s Herron High School next month, she'll be cheer captain and a member of the student government and prom committee. This summer, the 17-year-old held down a part-time job at Hollister, hawking the popular Southern California-inspired clothing brand. The all-American girl — who happens to be HIV positive. Paige was in...
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Mission Statement
At HIV Haven we wish to provide our readers with vital cutting edge information to help expand HIV knowledge and promote activism, particularly that which works towards an end to the HIV pandemic. It is our desire to bring to you the scientific, medical and social advances that given the appropriate attention and support, could change the course of the HIV pandemic, lessen the devastating effects of HIV and AIDS, better the quality and quantity of life for people living with HIV and even yield an eventual end to the HIV pandemic. We also provide the basics of HIV transmission and treatment.
We will focus on issues such as innovative drug development, strategic activist campaigns, HIV relationships and novel HIV and HIV cure research. We also will bring you advances in Hepatitis C (HCV), a common HIV co-infection. Whether you are living with HIV/AIDS, HIV and HCV, love someone who is, are an activist, advocate, researcher, physician or just an interested party, we hope here at HIV Haven we can help you find what you are looking for.
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