Overview and objective
This is a time-based presumption of disability following liver transplantation.
Exact text
5.09 Liver transplantation. Consider under a disability for 1 year following the date of transplantation. Thereafter, evaluate the residual impairments under the criteria for the affected body system.
Checklist of elements
- Proof of liver transplant date.
- Automatic disability for one year; after that, rate residuals (e.g., CLD criteria, cardiovascular, endocrine, etc.).
Tips & recommended evidence
- Transplant center records: operative report, discharge summary, immunosuppression regimen.
- Post-transplant complications: rejection episodes, infections, renal issues—preserve for post-year residual functional analysis.
- Diary the one-year mark so you timely pivot to residuals if needed.
Under Listing 5.09, a Social Security Disability Lawyer can help obtain transplant center records, operative reports, discharge summaries, and immunosuppression documentation to confirm the date of liver transplantation and establish the automatic one-year period of disability. These records are essential to document the transplant event itself and ensure proper application of SSA’s time-based presumption. After the one-year period, careful review of rejection episodes, infections, renal impairment, and other post-transplant complications becomes critical to evaluating residual functional limitations and determining whether the claimant continues to meet or medically equal a listing without vocational analysis.