My best friend has been diagnosed with hepatitis C and a fatty-infiltrated liver. She is 46. Her liver specialist said she had five to seven years before she would need a liver transplant. Can a person afflicted with this get financial aid from Social Security disability?

D.C.

Your inquiry brings several questions to mind. First, is your friend's hepatitis treatable or curable? Is the "fatty infiltrated liver" condition permanent, or can it be treated? In the time before she needs a transplant, is she limited in her activities, work, etc.? Does she have insurance and, if so, would it pay for a transplant? If this condition is disabling her, does she have disability insurance?

There may be two issues here, health insurance and disability income. If her conditions are treatable, her insurance coverage would help pay for the necessary treatment. Most insurance also includes coverage for organ transplantation. If her condition will make it difficult or impossible to maintain her income, disability insurance would provide some assistance.

As to the possibility of any financial assistance from the Social Security Administration, unless your friend meets the eligibility requirements for Social Security disability payments based on her current condition, she cannot receive financial assistance. Neither Social Security disability insurance nor the Supplemental Security Income program pays for medical treatment. However, if a person is receiving payments under the Social Security disability insurance program, she can participate in the Medicare program for health coverage.

If your friend is not disabled and has insurance through her place of employment, she is probably in good shape for transplant coverage. She should check with her employer's benefit manager as soon as possible.

Both the Social Security Administration and the Medicare program maintain excellent websites loaded with helpful information. For example, the Social Security website includes an online booklet titled Social Security Disability Benefits. This is a guide to both the Social Security disability insurance and the Supplemental Security Income programs, including eligibility, how to apply, how to obtain benefits, and what to do when you return to work. It is written in plain English so you won't have to hire an interpreter to understand it! The following is an excerpt from the booklet concerning eligibility:

"It's important that you understand how Social Security defines disability. That's because different programs have different bases for determining disability. Some programs may pay for partial disability or for short-term disability. Social Security does not.

"Disability under Social Security is based on your inability to work. You will be considered disabled if you are unable to do any kind of work for which you are suited and your disability is expected to last for at least a year or to result in death.

"Some consider this a strict definition of disability, and it is. The program assumes that working families have access to other resources to provide support during periods of short-term disabilities, including workers compensation, insurance, savings, and investments. It is designed to provide a continuing income to you and your family when you are unable to do so. Benefits continue as long as you remain disabled."

As you can see, eligibility for Social Security disability coverage has only one condition, and that is a person's ability to work and make a living. The opportunity to participate in Medicare as a disabled person is based on the same eligibility requirements. So if your friend is disabled, she should contact the Social Security Administration immediately. If not, she should make sure that her insurance remains in force