By Eric Minghella, emm@ssd-help.org
Cancer is one of the most common illnesses, and one of the most debilitating. That’s because there are more than 200 different kinds of cancer. Nearly two million people each year are diagnosed with some type of cancer. Some cancers, if caught early enough, are treatable but sadly others are not treatable or are caught too late for any treatment to be effective. People who are diagnosed with cancer and expect that they will be unable to work for at least a year because of that cancer can file a claim for Social Security disability benefits to help cover their basic living costs while they fight cancer.
Medically Qualifying for Disability Benefits Because Of Cancer
Before your claim for benefits can be approved you must medically qualify for Social Security disability benefits. All of the medical conditions that are eligible for disability benefits, including various kinds of cancers, are listed in the Social Security Administration’s Blue Book. Each individual listing in the book describes the requirements that someone must meet in order to medically qualify for disability benefits because of that illness.
Most cancers only qualify someone to receive benefits if that cancer meets one of these criteria:
The cancer has spread beyond the region of origin
The cancer is inoperable
The cancer is recurrent despite treatment
Late stage cancer or terminal cancer can make a person eligible for a Compassionate Allowance, which means that the person’s claim for benefits will get processed quickly to allow them to start receiving money quickly. In this situation people can start getting benefits in as little as two weeks in some cases. When you file a claim for disability benefits you will need to submit documentation proving your illness, like oncology reports, treatment plans and records, and statements from a doctor. But, the strict medical requirements to qualify for benefits because of cancer don’t mean that someone with a less aggressive cancer or a cancer that was caught early can’t get benefits.
Medical Vocational Allowance
If you have cancer that can be treated but the treatments make it so that you cannot work you may still be eligible for Social Security disability benefits through the Medical Vocational Allowance. In order to get a Medical Vocational Allowance, you need to file a claim for benefits and ask for a Residual Functional Capacity evaluation. These exams are done by the Social Security Administration. They are designed to see if there is any type of work that you can do while you are sick. If the evaluation finds that there isn’t any kind of work that you can do with the skills, you have and the limitations of your illness then you can be approved for disability benefits.
Start Your Disability Claim Today
If you have been diagnosed with cancer and you can’t work don’t wait to file a claim for social Security disability. File a claim online or call your local SSA office and make an appointment. Bring copies of all of your medical records to the appointment and someone at the SSA will help you file a claim.
Resources:
https://www.ssa.gov/disability/professionals/bluebook/AdultListings.htm
https://www.disability-benefits-help.org/glossary/medical-vocational-allowance
https://secure.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0424510006
https://www.ssa.gov/applyfordisability/
https://secure.ssa.gov/ICON/main.jsp