Medical/Professional Relations

Disability Evaluation Under Social Security

106.00 Genitourinary Disorders - Childhood
 

106.00 Genitourinary Disorders

A. Which disorders do we evaluate under these listings?

We evaluate genitourinary disorders resulting in chronic kidney disease (CKD). Examples of such disorders include chronic glomerulonephritis, hypertensive nephropathy, diabetic nephropathy, chronic obstructive uropathy, and hereditary nephropathies. We also evaluate nephrotic syndrome due to glomerular dysfunction, and congenital genitourinary disorders, such as ectopic ureter, exstrophic urinary bladder, urethral valves, and Eagle-Barrett syndrome (prune belly syndrome), under these listings.

B. What evidence do we need?

  1. We need evidence that documents the signs, symptoms, and laboratory findings of your CKD. This evidence should include reports of clinical examinations, treatment records, and documentation of your response to treatment. Laboratory findings, such as serum creatinine or serum albumin levels, may document your kidney function. We generally need evidence covering a period of at least 90 days unless we can make a fully favorable determination or decision without it.

  2. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). The eGFR is an estimate of the filtering capacity of the kidneys that takes into account serum creatinine concentration and other variables, such as your age, gender, and body size. If your medical evidence includes eGFR findings, we will consider them when we evaluate your CKD under 106.05.

  3. Kidney or bone biopsy. If you have had a kidney or bone biopsy, we need a copy of the pathology report. When we cannot get a copy of the pathology report, we will accept a statement from an acceptable medical source verifying that a biopsy was performed and describing the results.

C. What other factors do we consider when we evaluate your genitourinary disorder?

  1. Chronic hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis.
    1. Dialysis is a treatment for CKD that uses artificial means to remove toxic metabolic byproducts from the blood. Hemodialysis uses an artificial kidney machine to clean waste products from the blood; peritoneal dialysis uses a dialyzing solution that is introduced into and removed from the abdomen (peritoneal cavity) either continuously or intermittently. Under 106.03, your ongoing dialysis must have lasted or be expected to last for a continuous period of at least 12 months. To satisfy the requirement in 106.03, we will accept a report from an acceptable medical source that describes your CKD and your current dialysis, and indicates that your dialysis will be ongoing.
    2. If you are undergoing chronic hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis, your CKD may meet our definition of disability before you started dialysis. We will determine the onset of your disability based on the facts in your case record.
  2. Kidney transplant.
    1. If you receive a kidney transplant, we will consider you to be disabled under 106.04 for 1 year from the date of transplant. After that, we will evaluate your residual impairment(s) by considering your post-transplant function, any rejection episodes you have had, complications in other body systems, and any adverse effects related to ongoing treatment.

    2. If you received a kidney transplant, your CKD may meet our definition of disability before you received the transplant. We will determine the onset of your disability based on the facts in your case record.

  3. Anasarca (generalized massive edema or swelling). Under 106.06B, we need a description of the extent of edema, including pretibial (in front of the tibia), periorbital (around the eyes), or presacral (in front of the sacrum) edema. We also need a description of any ascites, pleural effusion, or pericardial effusion.

  4. Congenital genitourinary disorder. Procedures such as diagnostic cystoscopy or circumcision do not satisfy the requirement for urologic surgical procedures in 106.07.

  5. Growth failure due to any chronic renal disease.  

    a. To evaluate growth failure due to any chronic renal disease, we require documentation of the laboratory findings described in 106.08A and the growth measurements in 106.08B within the same consecutive 12-month period. The dates of laboratory findings may be different from the dates of growth measurements. 

    b. Under 106.08B, we use the appropriate table(s) under 105.08B in the digestive system to determine whether a child’s growth is less than the third percentile.

    (i) For children from birth to attainment of age 2, we use the weight-for-length table corresponding to the child’s gender (Table I or Table II).

    (ii) For children age 2 to attainment of age 18, we use the body mass index (BMI)-for-age table corresponding to the child’s gender (Table III or Table IV).

    (iii) BMI is the ratio of a child’s weight to the square of his or her height. We calculate BMI using the formulas in the digestive disorders body system (105.00).

  6. Complications of CKD.

    The hospitalizations in 106.09 may be for different complications of CKD. Examples of complications from CKD that may result in hospitalization include stroke, congestive heart failure, hypertensive crisis, or acute kidney failure requiring a short course of hemodialysis. If the CKD complication occurs during a hospitalization that was initially for a co-occurring condition, we will evaluate it under our rules for determining medical equivalence. (See § 416.926 of this chapter.) We will evaluate co-occurring conditions, including those that result in hospitalizations, under the listings for the affected body system or under our rules for medical equivalence.

D. How do we evaluate disorders that do not meet one of the genitourinary listings?

  1. The listed disorders are only examples of common genitourinary disorders that we consider severe enough to result in marked and severe functional limitations. If your impairment(s) does not meet the criteria of any of these listings, we must also consider whether you have an impairment(s) that satisfies the criteria of a listing in another body system.

  2. If you have a severe medically determinable impairment(s) that does not meet a listing, we will determine whether your impairment(s) medically equals a listing. (See §416.926 of this chapter.) Genitourinary disorders may be associated with disorders in other body systems, and we consider the combined effects of multiple impairments when we determine whether they medically equal a listing. If your impairment(s) does not medically equal a listing, we will also consider whether it functionally equals the listings. (See §416.926a of this chapter.) We use the rules in §416.994a of this chapter when we decide whether you continue to be disabled.
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106.01 Category of Impairments, Genitourinary Disorders

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106.03 Chronic kidney disease, with chronic hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis (see 106.00C1).

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106.04 Chronic kidney disease, with kidney transplant. Consider under a disability for 1 year following the transplant; thereafter, evaluate the residual impairment (see 106.00C2).

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106.05 Chronic kidney disease, with impairment of kidney function, with one of the following documented on at least two occasions at least 90 days apart during a consecutive 12-month period:

A. Serum creatinine of 3 mg/dL or greater;

OR

B. Creatinine clearance of 30 ml/min/1.73m2 or less;

OR

C. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of 30 ml/min/1.73m2 or less.

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106.06 Nephrotic syndrome, with A and B:

A. Laboratory findings as described in 1 or 2, documented on at least two occasions at least 90 days apart during a consecutive 12-month period:

  1. Serum albumin of 3.0 g/dL or less, or

  2. Proteinuria of 40 mg/m2/hr or greater;

AND

B. Anasarca (see 106.00C3) persisting for at least 90 days despite prescribed treatment.

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106.07 Congenital genitourinary disorder (see 106.00C4) requiring urologic surgical procedures at least three times in a consecutive 12-month period, with at least 30 days between procedures. Consider under a disability for 1 year following the date of the last surgery; thereafter, evaluate the residual impairment.

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106.08 Growth failure due to any chronic renal disease (see 106.00C5), with:

A. Serum creatinine of 2 mg/dL or greater, documented at least two times within a consecutive 12-month period with at least 60 days between measurements.

AND

B. Growth failure as required in 1 or 2: 

1. For children from birth to attainment of age 2, three weight-for length measurements that are:

a. Within a consecutive 12-month period; and

b. At least 60 days apart; and

c. Less than the third percentile on the appropriate weight-for-length table under 105.08B1; or

2. For children age 2 to attainment of age 18, three BMI-for-age measurements that are:

a. Within a consecutive 12-month period; and

b. At least 60 days apart; and

c. Less than the third percentile on the appropriate BMI-for-age table under 105.08B2. 

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106.09 Complications of chronic kidney disease (see 106.00C5) requiring at least three hospitalizations within a consecutive 12-month period and occurring at least 30 days apart. Each hospitalization must last at least 48 hours, including hours in a hospital emergency department immediately before the hospitalization.

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