Exact text
6.04 Chronic kidney disease, with kidney transplant. Consider under a disability for 1 year following the transplant; thereafter, evaluate the residual impairment (see 6.00C2).
What you must show
- A kidney transplant occurred.
- The claimant is considered disabled for 12 months from the date of transplant.
- After 12 months, SSA evaluates residual impairment (graft function, complications, immunosuppression side effects).
Proof tips
- Obtain the operative report and discharge summary showing the transplant date.
- After the one-year automatic period, document current eGFR, rejection episodes, infections (e.g., CMV), hypertension, and immunosuppressant side effects (e.g., tremor, infection risk, fatigue).
- Submit nephrology follow-ups and medication lists (tacrolimus/cyclosporine, mycophenolate, steroids). These support ongoing limitations even if the listing period has ended.
Under Listing 6.04, a Social Security Disability Lawyer can help assemble transplant operative reports, post-operative nephrology follow-ups, and immunosuppression treatment records to establish the automatic 12-month period of disability following a kidney transplant and, when applicable, document ongoing limitations beyond that period. After the initial year, careful development of evidence such as graft function trends, rejection episodes, infection history, and medication side effects is essential to show continued impairment severity. Properly organized medical proof ensures the case is evaluated accurately under post-transplant residual functioning criteria and aligned with the standards applied by the Social Security Administration.