A cancer diagnosis is only the beginning of a battle that can make it impossible for you to work. Financial help may be available through the Social Security Administration (SSA) and its Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) programs.
SSI and SSDI each pay monthly benefits to provide financial assistance and health coverage through Medicare or Medicaid. However, the complicated and confusing federal regulations and a difficult application process make it a challenge to get the cancer disability benefits that you desperately need.
In fact, fewer than one-third of applications for SSI and SSDI disability benefits are approved during the initial review process. Instead of giving up, let a cancer benefits disability lawyer from Disability Partners, PLLC, show you how our knowledge of the regulations and procedures combined with years of experience can improve your chance of success.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) defines disability as being unable to work as a result of a medically determinable physical or mental impairment that is expected to last for at least 12 months or result in death. Depending upon the form of cancer that you have and the effects of the treatment for it, you could be disabled according to the standard used by the SSA.
The application process takes time before a determination is made by the SSA. If you are denied benefits, you have the right to challenge it through the disability appeal process. There is, however a way to expedite the determination process through the Compassionate Allowances program of the SSA.
According to the SSA, it takes from three to five months for it to process and make a decision about your application for disability benefits. This is only an estimate, and the actual processing time can be much longer if additional medical records and other evidence is needed to complete the review of your claim.
The Compassionate Allowances program was developed to expedite the disability determination process for applicants with medical conditions that Social Security considers as being so severe as to automatically qualify for SSI or SSDI. The SSA has a list of medical conditions, including several different forms of cancer, that qualify for expedited processing of cancer disability benefits applications, including the following:
There are several other forms of cancer on the Compassionate Allowances list. However, if you have a form of cancer that is not listed, your cancer disability benefits lawyer may submit it for inclusion in the program.
A claim for cancer disability benefits may be approved under the Compassionate Allowances program on the basis of only a medical diagnosis. Determinations are fast and take only days rather than months.
Find out more about the Compassion Allowances program during a consultation with a disability benefits lawyer at Disability Partners, PLLC. Even if you do not qualify for a compassionate allowance, our cancer disability benefits lawyer will explore other options to help you obtain benefits through SSI and SSDI for a cancer disability.