Although more premature babies are surviving today than ever before, Reuters is reporting that a group of doctors has said that not much progress has been made in improving the long-term health of these children who are born “extremely premature.” This will likely mean that the amount of people looking to qualify for Social Security disability benefits will be on the rise as the years go on.
“A decade of advances in medicine mean more babies born at between 22 and 26 weeks gestation manage to survive, but rates of severe health complications remain as high as they were in 1995, according to research by neonatal specialists in Britain,” Reuters reported. “The findings of two separate studies published in the British Medical Journal suggest the number of children and adults with disabilities caused by premature birth will rise in coming years.”
Neil Marlow, of University College London’s Institute for Women’s Health, who worked on both of these studies said this increasing amount of people with disability is likely to have an impact on the demand for education, social care services and healthcare. Another expert said the survival rate for babies born less than 27 weeks gestation are moving in the right direction of health, but there is still much room for improvement.
The law applicable to childhood disability claims differs from adult cases and requires the expertise of a skilled lawyer to prevail. Proper presentation of school, as well as a child’s medical records, are critical to winning a case. The Law Offices of Harold W. Conick, & Associates are experts in representing disabled children before the Social Security Administration.
