Every March, we pay special attention to the kidney, an organ vital to a healthy life. This week, we pay attention to the importance of kidney health and about what to do if you think you or a loved one has a kidney-related disability.

Kidney disease prevents kidneys from cleansing blood to its full potential. Did you know that one out of three Americans is currently at high risk for developing kidney disease? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 20 million Americans have chronic kidney disease, and most of them don't even know it.

Ebie is a prime example. Ebie was an emergency room worker with an active life at work, home, and in his community. He had no idea he'd developed a kidney condition until one day he felt ill while driving to work and had to call a coworker for help.

Social Security's Faces and Facts of Disability website features Ebie's story at at www.socialsecurity.gov/disabilityfacts.

If a kidney disease such as end-stage renal disease (known as ESRD) requires chronic dialysis and prevents you from working, Social Security may be able to help. If you're undergoing dialysis, have had a kidney transplant, have persistent low creatinine clearance levels, or have persistent high serum creatinine levels, you may qualify for disability or Medicare benefits.

Learn more about eligibility based on kidney disease and the benefits available to you by reading the publications, Disability Benefits and Medicare, both available at www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs.

Listed as one of Social Security's Compassionate Allowance conditions, kidney cancer is another condition that may qualify you for disability and Medicare benefits. The Compassionate Allowances program helps in cases where a person's medical condition is so severe it obviously meets Social Security's disability standards — allowing quick processing of the disability application and payment of benefits.

Find more information about Compassionate Allowances by visiting www.socialsecurity.gov/compassionateallowances.

Drink plenty of water, go for checkups, and if you think you may have a kidney disease, take action right away! As Ebie says, "quality of life is everything."

If you think you may be eligible for Social Security disability benefits based on a kidney disease, apply online for benefits at www.socialsecurity.gov/disabilityssi.

Oscar Torres-Torres is district manager of Chambersburg's Social Security office.

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