5.1. Guide to Social Security Benefits (AIDS) Part 1 -- Background Information
Description
This article is from the AIDS FAQ, by Dan Greening with numerous contributions by others.
5.1. Guide to Social Security Benefits (AIDS) Part 1 -- Background Information
Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is characterized by the
inability of the body's natural immunity to fight infection. It is
caused by a retrovirus known as human immunodeficiency virus, or
HIV. Generally speaking, people with HIV infection fall into two broad
categories:
1) those with symptomatic HIV infection, including AIDS; and 2) those
with HIV infection but no symptoms.
Although thousands of people with HIV infection are receiving Social
Security or Supplemental Security Income disability benefits, we
believe there may be others who might be eligible for these
benefits. Social Security is committed to helping all men, women, and
children with HIV infection learn more about the disability programs
we administer. And if you qualify for benefits, we are just as
committed to ensuring that you receive them as soon as possible. You
should also be aware that the Social Security Administrations's
criteria for evaluating HIV infection are not linked to the Centers
for Disease Control's (CDC) definition of AIDS. This is because the
goals of the two agencies are different. CDC defines AIDS primarily
for surveillance purposes, not for the evaluation of disability.
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