These include chronic anemia, sickle cell disease, chronic thrombocytopenia and various other blood disorders.

These can be very significant and life-threatening medical disorders. They require specialized medical treatment. For purposes of disability, they are generally evaluated based on the chronicity of the condition, as manifested by the presence of certain clinical findings for at least three months following initiation of treatment.  

The symptoms commonly associated with these disorders include fatigue, weight loss, pain, spontaneous hemorrhage and/or recurrent infection. These symptoms can be disabling, even if the underlying medical disorder has not progressed to a severe level.   However, they are not as frequently encountered in a disability practice as are more common medical disorders.  Judges and others who evaluate disability claims are not as familiar with these disorders as some others. Establishing a claim of disability predicated on the symptoms of a hematological disorder requires persuasive evidence obtained from a medical specialist, careful case preparation, and an informed and coherent presentation of the evidence to Social Security.  Anyone contemplating hiring a lawyer to handle such a claim should take care to find someone who understands and has experience dealing with these disorders.