Cirrhosis and Long Term Disability Benefits

What is Cirrhosis?

Cirrhosis is the late stage of scarring of the liver created by advanced diseases like hepatitis and chronic alcohol use. Each time the liver is damaged, it tries to repair itself. Each time it tries to repair itself, scar tissue forms leaving it difficult for your liver to function properly.  Cirrhosis cannot be reversed, and advanced stages are life-threatening. If diagnosed early, treatment, and lifestyle changes can help slow down the disease progression.

Cirrhosis often has no symptoms until there is liver damage. When you do start showing symptoms, seek medical treatment.

Some signs and symptoms can be but are not limited to:

  • Fatigue
  • Nausea
  • Weight loss
  • Yellow discoloration of the eyes or the skin
  • Itchy, flaky skin
  • Loss of appetite
  • Drowsiness and confusion


There are many causes of cirrhosis. The most common are chronic alcoholism and hepatitis, but many other diseases can cause cirrhosis like fatty liver disease, iron build up in the body, autoimmune hepatitis, and even some medications.


Treatment plans for Cirrhosis will vary as there is no cure. Treatments for the underlying cause of the disease can be alcohol treatment programs, weight loss, and blood sugar monitoring plans, and medications so slow down liver damage.

Treatments for advanced cirrhosis can be low sodium diets to help combat the fluid build up, periodic blood tests and liver ultrasounds to monitor for cancer signs, and medications to treat hypertension associated with cirrhosis. Liver transplants are an option for the most advanced cases.

Cirrhosis and Long Term Disability

It is essential to request a copy of your long term disability policy and read the qualifications. Not all but some insurance policies exclude paying benefits for employers that have a disease related to substance abuse. If you have cirrhosis due to alcohol abuse, you want to check your policy. If you developed the disease in a non-alcohol related way, you still need to get a copy of your policy and read the terms.

The insurance company will base its decision on the information provided by your medical provider. A positive diagnosis will need to be provided by your doctor. Your doctor will also need to provide a treatment plan for you. Your doctor will need to provide a list of restrictions that cause you not to be able to perform your duties at work by completing a functional capacity report.

Definition of Disability

Under most LTD policies, an individual is considered disabled if he or she is: (a) unable to perform the material duties of his or her own occupation for the first two years of the policy; and (b) unable to perform the duties of just about any occupation after the first two years of the policy. The definition of disability is specific to each individual policy, so you must review your own LTD policy to determine how the term “disability” or “totally disabled” is defined for you.

Proof of Disability

Evidence of symptoms alone will not be sufficient for a successful long term disability claim. You will need to provide medical documentation to support your claims. This will include medical reports from your doctors, hospitals, and laboratories that have treated you. If you provide the insurance company with a list of all the locations that treated you for Cirrhosis, they should be able to obtain your records directly. If they cannot, it will be up to you to obtain them. Some examples are results from your MRI, CAT Scan, liver ultrasound, liver biopsy, liver enzyme levels tests, and liver protein levels.

It is important to remember to get any mental health records you may have regarding treatment for Cirrhosis. This serious and chronic disease can cause you to need to seek counseling for depression and anxiety. Provide the insurance company with your therapy notes.

If the insurance company decides that there is not enough evidence to process your claim, they may ask you to be evaluated by a doctor that works for them to ensure they have all the documentation they need to reach a decision.

Work with a Florida Long-Term Disability Insurance Attorney to Ensure You Get the Benefits You Deserve Your best chance of having a long-term disability case approved because of Cirrhosis comes by working with an experienced Disability lawyer.

Your Florida Long-Term Disability attorney will be familiar with how insurance providers handle claims and will help you prepare your application and collect essential evidence. It’s important to note that your Long-Term Disability attorney does not get paid until you do so that you can proceed with your case without fear of upfront legal bills or costs.

Although based in Florida, the Ortiz Law Firm represents claimants across the United States.

If you’d like to speak to one of our Pensacola Long-Term Disability Insurance Attorneys about Cirrhosis and how it may be impacting your ability to work, contact us at (850) 308-7833 to schedule a consultation. We can help you evaluate your claim to determine if you will be able to access Long-Term Disability Benefits and how to move forward with the process.


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