Studies from University of North Carolina in the Area of Endometriosis Described (Endometriosis and Disability: Analysis of Federal Court Appeals of Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income Claims By Individuals …): Uterine Diseases and Conditions – Endometriosis

2024 SEP 12 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Health Policy and Law Daily -- Researchers detail new data in Uterine Diseases and Conditions - Endometriosis. According to news reporting originating in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, by NewsRx journalists, research stated, “Endometriosis, a chronic noncancerous gynecologic condition commonly characterized by disruptive physical and psychosocial symptoms, can be disabling. Individuals in the United States with endometriosis who are unable to work before retirement age can apply for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and/or Supplemental Security Income (SSI).”

Financial support for this research came from National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities of the National Institutes of Health.

The news reporters obtained a quote from the research from the University of North Carolina, “Given the multi-step process of disability review, it is important to better understand how disability decisions are made. This study aimed to examine approaches and rationales of U.S. federal appeals courts reviewing SSDI and/or SSI claims involving endometriosis-related issues of appeal. We searched Westlaw and Nexis Uni records, available as of January 2021, for federal appeals of SSDI and SSI claims including endometriosis as an impairment. Two independent reviewers screened full-text cases and extracted data. Framework Analysis was applied to courts’ rationales regarding endometriosis-related issues of appeal. Eighty-seven appeals addressed an endometriosis-related issue. Three themes-evidence, treatment, and time-were identified across the decisions. The courts’ discussions across themes exposed rationales and evidentiary requirements that posed challenges for claimants with endometriosis. The courts found subjective reports of symptoms insufficient evidence of impairment and positive responses to treatments to indicate cures or prevent claimants from demonstrating the necessary continuous 12 months of impairment. Some courts expected claimants to use treatments such as contraception or hysterectomy without addressing the risks of such treatments or the fact that they might have been counter to claimants’ needs and preferences. Individuals with endometriosis face evidentiary obstacles and common misconceptions about disease, diagnosis, and treatment in disability claims. SSDI and SSI endometriosis claims are systematically disadvantaged, particularly among those without access to care.”

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “The health care, policy, and legal systems can leverage the findings in this study to create a more equitable disability application and review system for those with chronic pain conditions such as endometriosis.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: Endometriosis and Disability: Analysis of Federal Court Appeals of Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income Claims By Individuals Suffering From Endometriosis. Women s Health Issues, 2024;34(3):221-231. Women s Health Issues can be contacted at: Elsevier Science Inc, Ste 800, 230 Park Ave, New York, NY 10169, USA.

Our news correspondents report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Martha Grace Cromeens, University of North Carolina, School of Nursing, Chapel Hill, NC, United States. Additional authors for this research include Kathleen Knafl, Suzanne Thoyre, Whitney R. Robinson, Zakiya Haji-Noor and Erin T. Carey.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.whi.2023.11.008. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

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