When Is Social Security Disability Available for Cancer Patients?

 Posted on March 21, 2022 in Social Security disability

There are many different reasons why a person may become disabled, and if they suffer from health issues that prevent them from working, they may qualify for disability benefits through Social Security. Cancer is one of the most serious health conditions that can affect a person, and in can impact nearly every part of their life. In addition to experiencing debilitating symptoms from cancer itself, the forms of treatment that may be used, such as surgery or chemotherapy, may affect a person’s ability to work and complete daily activities. Those who have been diagnosed with cancer will want to understand the requirements they will need to meet to show that they are disabled and ensure that they will be able to receive Social Security disability benefits.

Types of Cancer in Social Security’s Listing of Impairments

To be considered a disability, a person’s condition must be severe enough to limit their ability to maintain gainful employment, and it must have lasted or be expected to last for at least 12 months. When determining whether a person is disabled, one of the key steps in the process will involve the Listing of Impairments, which details the types of conditions that Social Security will consider being disabilities. If a person meets the qualifying criteria described in the Listing for their condition, they will qualify for disability benefits. However, even if a person’s specific condition is not included in the Listing of Impairments, they may still be able to demonstrate that they are disabled by showing that their condition has prevented them from performing work they had done in the past or finding other types of employment that fit their physical limitations.

The Listing of Impairments includes criteria for multiple forms of cancer, including:

• Skin cancer - Sarcoma or carcinoma may be a disability if it has affected tissue below the skin, such as muscles, bones, or cartilage.

• Lymphoma - These cancers may include non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma that is aggressive or persistent following initial therapy or requires more than one form of treatment within a 12-month period, Hodgkin’s lymphoma that recurs within 12 months of treatment or does not fully go into remission, mantle cell lymphoma, or lymphoma that requires bone marrow or stem cell transplants.

• Leukemia - Disabling conditions include acute leukemia or chronic myelogenous leukemia.

• Breast cancer - These may include locally advanced cancers that extend to the skin or chest wall, carcinoma that has metastasized to the supraclavicular or infraclavicular nodes or 10 or more axillary nodes, or other forms of recurrent carcinoma.

• Lung cancer - Qualifying cancers include small-cell or non-small-cell carcinoma or carcinoma of the superior sulcus that requires multimodal therapy.

• Esophageal and stomach cancer - Disabling conditions include carcinoma or sarcoma affecting the esophagus and carcinoma or sarcoma affecting the stomach that is inoperable, recurrent, or extends to surrounding tissues.

• Intestinal cancer - Disabilities may include cancers affecting the small intestine or adenocarcinoma affecting the large intestine that are inoperable, as well as squamous cell carcinoma affecting the anus that is recurrent after surgery.

• Bladder cancer - This form of cancer may be a disability if it extends beyond the bladder wall, is inoperable, or is recurrent after a total cystectomy.

• Cancers of the female genital tract - Disabling conditions may include uterine or vaginal cancer that invades adjoining organs, cervical cancer that extends to the pelvic wall, ovarian cancer that extends beyond the pelvis, or cancer of the fallopian tubes that extends to the serosa or beyond.

• Prostate cancer - This may be a disability if it is progressive or recurrent after receiving hormonal intervention therapy.

• Other forms of cancer with “distant metastases” - Most forms of cancer that have metastasized beyond regional lymph nodes where the cancer originally occurred will be considered disabilities.

Contact Our Milwaukee County Social Security Disability Lawyer for Cancer

If you have been diagnosed with cancer, Attorney Jonathan Pearson can help you determine whether you qualify for Social Security disability benefits, and he can assist with your application and ensure that you provide the proper medical evidence and other required information. To arrange a free consultation, contact our Greenfield Social Security disability application attorney at 414-240-4801.

Source:

https://www.ssa.gov/disability/professionals/bluebook/13.00-NeoplasticDiseases-Malignant-Adult.htm