Compassionate Allowances And Pediatric Cancer
Thousands of people apply for disability benefits every year, so it can take months for your child to be approved for benefits. Some cases are clearly disabling, so the SSA will flag these applications for expedited review. These conditions are known as Compassionate Allowances. If your childs cancer qualifies as a Compassionate Allowance, he or she could be approved in as little as 10 days. Diagnoses that qualify as Compassionate Allowances include, but are not limited to:
- Childhood Lymphoma
Additionally, your child can qualify for a Compassionate Allowance if:
- The cancer has spread to distant regions of the body
- The cancer has returned despite treatment
- The cancer is inoperable
You do not need to take any additional steps to qualify for a Compassionate Allowanceif the cancer is advanced enough, the SSA will automatically approve your child quickly.
Qualifying For Ssdi As A Cancer Patient
Chemo and radiation can have many unpleasant side effects, including vomiting, cognitive impairment, and chronic fatigue. While theres no doubt that these symptoms can make working difficult, you wont be approved for benefits simply because you are undergoing cancer treatment.
To qualify for SSDI, your condition must be expected to last one year or longer or result in your death. Cancer treatment symptoms typically last less than one year and are not severe enough to prevent you from working the entire time.
Cancer that is caught in the early stages and responds well to treatment wont qualify for disability benefits. Only advanced cancers that meet one of the following criteria are eligible for SSDI benefits:
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Disabilities Related To Cancer Treatment
Even if a patients cancer treatment is successful, they can be left with serious impairments. For example, heart, lung, liver, and bone problems have been linked to chemotherapy, while cognitive dysfunction and bone weakness can be long-term effects of radiation.
If you develop a disabling condition as the result of successful cancer treatment, your disability will be evaluated without considering the cancer diagnosis. The Blue Book criteria for your specific condition can offer insight as to whether your long-term side effects of cancer treatment are severe enough to qualify for SSDI benefits.
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If Your Prostate Cancer Does Not Meet The Requirements Of Social Securitys Impairment Listing But You Are Still Unable To Work Full
Social Security will conduct a Residual Functional Capacity assessment to evaluate what work-related tasks you are still capable of performing. Social Security will consider how long you can walk, stand, or sit and how much weight you can lift, as well as what accommodations you might need, like frequent restroom breaks. Prostate cancer patients need to urinate frequently and often have pain and stiffness in their hips and back. If Social Security finds that, given your RFC limitations, age, education level, and job skills, there are no jobs you can do, you can be granted disability benefits via a medical-vocational allowance.
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Can You Get Disability Insurance With Cancer
Unfortunately, most carriers will deny your individual disability insurance application if youâve recently had cancer or are being treated for it. Insurance companies underwrite applicants based on their likelihood of filing a disability claim. Already having cancer makes an applicant an extremely high risk to insure.
If you donât already have group disability coverage, such as through your employer, you may be able to get insurance that way. Group plans are guaranteed issue, which means there is no underwriting. If youâre eligible to sign up, youâre automatically covered.
One problem with this option is that you typically canât apply at any time you can typically only sign up for employer benefits during the annual enrollment period.
Another option is to apply for Social Security Disability Insurance if cancer is preventing you from working.
SSDI has a stricter definition of disability than most private disability insurance policies. Most applications are initially denied.
To qualify, you must be significantly limited in your ability to do basic work such as lifting, standing, walking, sitting, and remembering. In addition, the condition must be severe enough that itâs expected to last at least 12 months and/or result in death. Otherwise, Social Security will not consider you disabled.
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What Does Not Count In The 14
Some activities do not count in the 14 hours per week requirement, such as:
- the time a portable or implanted device takes to deliver the therapy
- activities related to dietary restrictions or regimes, even when these activities are a factor in determining the daily dosage of medication
- activities related to exercising, even when these activities are a factor in determining the daily dosage of medication
- travel time to receive the therapy
- going to medical appointments
- buying medication
View the life-sustaining therapy video to help you understand the criteria.
You Need More Than The Diagnosis
Unfortunately, a cancer diagnosis alone will not be enough for you to start receiving your benefits. The most typical way that those fighting cancer will receive disability benefits is as a result of their treatment, and not necessarily the cancer itself. This is particularly true for cancers that are not listed in the Blue Book.
If your form of cancer doesnt immediately qualify, you will seek a medical vocational allowance, which takes into account several factors, most importantly your residual functional capacity, in order to determine whether you will receive benefits.
For example, chemotherapy, the common cancer treatment, often comes with extreme side-effects like prolonged nausea, extreme fatigue, and mental confusion. If these symptoms reduce your capacity to work or eliminate it completely, you will usually receive benefits based on a medical vocational allowance.
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Canada Pension Plan Disability Benefits
The Canada Pension Plan provides monthly payments to people who contribute to the plan during their working years.
You may be eligible for CPP disability benefits if:
- you contributed to the CPP for a certain number of years
- you’re under 65 years old
- you have a severe and prolonged mental or physical disability
- your disability prevents you from working on a regular basis
The benefits include payments to children of a person with a disability.
Apply as early as possible if you think you’re eligible for CPP disability benefits. Quebec residents may be eligible for a similar program called the Quebec Pension Plan . It may take several months to process your application.
If you applied for CPP or QPP disability benefits and were told that you’re not eligible, you can ask to have your application reviewed or considered again.
Once you reach age 65, your CPP disability benefit will automatically change to regular CPP payments. Your regular CPP payments may be less than the CPP disability payments you got before.
If so, consider:
What Ssa Benefits Can I Qualify For With Cancer In Arkansas
Cancer can force you to stop working or generating income while your illness persists. This can make things like providing for yourself and your family extremely challenging. The SSA assists those who are unable to work due to their cancer. However, to get the benefits provided by the SSA, the petitioner must meet specific requirements. Some of the benefits you can get if you were diagnosed with cancer and cannot return to work include the following:
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When Surgery Or Treatment Is Not Successful
If you had surgery to remove your tumor but it was not able to be fully removed, it is termed unresectable. Under the SSAs impairment listings for most types of cancer, this will qualify you for disability benefits. In addition, if your surgical margins are positive following surgery, your cancer should be termed unresectable, qualifying for benefits under most of the cancer listings.
If your tumor is removed but then returns in an area near the site of the original surgery, or if a tumor returns after chemo ro radiation, your cancer will be considered recurrent under the listing for your particular cancer. An recurrent cancer automatically qualifies for disability benefits under most of the cancer listings, including lung cancer, colon cancer, kidney cancer, prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and uterine and ovarian cancer . This is applicable even if there is a considerable time lapse between when you first underwent surgery or treatment and the time the cancer returned.
If your tumor is considered inoperable, you will qualify under most of the cancer listings.
If you underwent surgery to remove your cancer and you suffer from lymphedema as a result, your condition may be evaluated under the musculoskeletal or cardiovascular listings, depending on your symptoms. Lymphedema can occur after any cancer, especially breast cancer and melanoma.
Preparing For Your Benefit Application
A disability application requires more than just medical evidence. In fact, the SSA must review information about your education, job training, and employment history as well as your financial circumstances.
- Tax returns from previous years and bank account statements can help you provide accurate financial data on your application for benefits. Youll also need information on any other forms of benefits or assistance you receive, including any financial help you get from friends, family, or social service organizations.
- The names and contact details of former employers and educational institutions you attended will be necessary too, as will information of your former job duties and skills. Old pay stubs, job descriptions, and other employment, training, and education records can help you gather and communicate these essential application details.
- Contact information for all of your doctors and other healthcare providers, including hospitals and labs, will be required. Billing statements and copies of medical records will give you the information you need for completing your application, including the dates of service, formal diagnoses, and other crucial details.
Whether youre applying for Social Security Disability Insurance , Supplemental Security Income , or both of these SSA disability programs, you may wish to speak with an attorney or advocate prior to starting your application.
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I Have Prostate Cancer Should I Apply For Benefits
If you cant work because of prostate cancer and and your doctors dont think youll get better within a year, you should probably apply for benefits. Its free and the help can be life-changing. But applying does take time and effort, and not everyone qualifies so its only worthwhile if you have a chance of success. Heres our advice:
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What Is The Trial Work Program
If you receive disability benefits because you have cancer, the time may come when you want to try to return to work. You will have a trial-work period, in which you can work and determine if you are able to earn a living, before you lose your benefits.
The Social Security Administration offers those receiving disability benefits a 9-month trial work program. This trial work period is used to determine if the claimant can return to work and earn a living.
There is one 9-month trial work period every 60 months, so if you have a trial work period and dont succeed, you can try again in 5 years and start over.
During this trial work period, you can determine if your health has improved enough to allow you to get back into the workforce and earn a living. When you are working during this 9-month trial period, you can work and not be in jeopardy of losing your disability benefits.
The trial program is contingent on you reporting your work activity to the SSA. You will report the hours worked, the money earned, and your expenses associated with working. During the trial work period, you will continue to receive your regular monthly disability check.
Even when your trial work period has expired, you will receive your disability benefits for any month that you dont earn what is considered substantial gainful activity .
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Social Security Disability Income For People With Cancer
Social Security Disability Income is a federal disability insurance benefit earned by people who have worked and paid into Social Security. Its only available to people who have disabilities that keep them from working. If you have cancer, you may be able to have your SSDI application processed more quickly
Qualifying With Prostate Cancer Through Medical
In some cases, your diagnosis will not meet the criteria to receive disability benefits in the Blue Book, but that doesnt mean that you are out of options. In that case, a medical-vocational allowance might be the right choice for you.
The medical-vocational allowance is used when an applicants diagnosis does not fit the disability guidelines but the applicant is unable to perform the demands of the job. To make this determination, the SSA will evaluate your age, work history and experience, your education and your residual function capacity . The RFC is the maximum amount of work you are able to perform given your condition, taking into consideration the demands of your job and the ability to perform modified tasks.
The SSA will use the medical-vocational guidelines to evaluate the exertional and nonexertional demands of your job to determine if an adjustment can be made to accommodate the maximum amount of work you are capable of performing, either in your current position or in general.
If the SSA determines that you could perform a similar task with some adjustments, then you will not qualify for the medical-vocational allowance. However, if no accommodations can be made, then you could qualify for disability benefits because at that point you would no longer be able to keep up with the demands of your job or work in a similar field.
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Applying For Social Security Disability Benefits With Prostate Cancer
The Journal of The National Cancer Institute reports there are nearly 2 million men living in the America today who are prostate cancer survivors, and the Prostate Cancer Foundation reports more than 220,000 new cases are diagnosed each year in the U.S.
While prostate cancer is among the leading causes of cancer-related death for American men as well, it is also among the most treatable and curable forms of cancer, which is why it may or may not qualify you for disability benefits.
If your prostate cancer was advanced when diagnosed or has recurred after initial treatment, then you automatically medically qualify Social Security Disability. If it is not advanced, you will need to meet Blue Book listing 13.24 to qualify. Either way, you will need to apply and provide medical records to back up your claim though.
If your prostate cancer is caught early and responds to treatment, then you wont qualify for benefits through the typical review process. Instead, youll have to show that your cancer symptoms, treatments, and complications severely disrupt your ability to function on a daily basis.
Those With Testicular Cancer That Has Spread Can Automatically Qualify For Disability Benefits
By Lorraine Netter, Contributing Author
Testicular cancer and the treatments for this type of cancer can cause physical impairments that make it difficult to work for a period of time. Social Security disability benefits, including Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income , are available for individuals who are unable to work due to this cancer.
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Can I Get Social Security Disability For Cancer
HomeBlogFrequently Asked Questions Can I Get Social Security Disability for Cancer?
Yes, it is possible to get Social Security disability for cancer. Receiving a diagnosis of cancer is a serious, often life-changing event. Thankfully, decades of cancer research have increased the odds of beating some cancers, and have extended the length of survival with others. However, cancer and the treatment protocol usually make it difficult, if not impossible, to be gainfully employed, at least for a period of time.
How Can I Find Out More About Ssdi
- Visit www.ssa.gov online choose disability, then select publications
- Visit ssabest.benefits.gov to learn about Social Security benefits you might be eligible for including SSDI
- Go to your nearest Social Security office
You can find out how much you would get from SSDI by looking at your Social Security statement. The statement shows your work history and an estimate of what your benefits would be at this time. To get a Social Security statement:
- Request a statement online through Social Securitys website at www.ssa.gov. Click on My Social Security on the left side of the page.
Note that SSDI is different from SSI . SSI is for low-income people who didnt pay enough into Social Security during their working years, or who havent worked recently enough to qualify for SSDI. See our information on Supplemental Security Income for more. To get SSI or SSDI, a person must meet Social Securitys definition of disability.
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Disability Insurance For Cancer Survivors
Once youâre in remission or have had your cancer removed, you should be able to obtain an individual disability insurance policy.
However, itâs unlikely that an insurance company will cover any future relapses. If youâve had cancer before you apply, your policy will likely have an exclusion attached to it. An exclusion restricts coverage for claims resulting from or related to a preexisting medical condition.
Depending on the type of cancer you had, this exclusion may limit you from filing claims for any type of cancer. On the other hand, if you suffered a more localized type of cancer, such as thyroid cancer, then a future policy may only exclude that type of cancer from coverage but include other types.
Even with exclusions, your previous history of cancer will lead to higher premiums because it may lead to separate health and disability issues in the future.
Because of how common cancer is, itâs in your best interest to consider disability insurance before you have a potential diagnosis. This is especially true if you have any risk factors that make a diagnosis more likely for you than for the general population.
Joel Palmer is a freelance writer and personal finance expert who focuses on the mortgage, insurance, financial services, and technology industries. He spent the first 10 years of his career as a business and financial reporter.