Can You Get Disability For Prostate Cancer

Qualifying For Social Security Disability Benefits Due To Prostate Cancer

How to Get VA Benefits For Prostate Cancer

When applying for Social Security disability benefits, the SSA will compare your condition and symptoms to the conditions that have been included in the SSAs Blue Book. The Blue Book is a publication that lists all of the conditions that could qualify an individual for disability benefits through the SSA, along with the criteria that must be met with each condition.

Prostate cancer is included in the Blue Book under Section 13.24. According to this section of the Blue Book, you can qualify for disability benefits due to prostate cancer if the following criteria are met:

The prostate cancer is progressive or recurrent despite initial hormonal intervention or
The prostate cancer has metastasized to other internal organs

For more information on qualifying with prostate cancer, please click here.

Agent Orange And Prostate Cancer Veterans Disability Benefits

Veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange and developed prostate cancer may be eligible to receive VA disability benefits. Some veterans receive more than $3,332.06 a month. Some veterans will also be eligible for VA Aid & Attendance benefits, money for dependent children and parents, and healthcare.

Prostate cancer is one of the Agent Orange presumptives. That means that the VA should approve claims of veterans exposed to Agent Orange who develops prostate cancer. However, you should still present lots of evidence and prove your claim to the VA. Unfortunately, even though prostate cancer is presumed to have come from Agent Orange exposure, the VA does not grant every claim.

If you were denied prostate cancer veterans disability benefits, you should consider filing a VA benefits appeal. The VA regularly denies veterans who later win their appeals. Do not let a prostate cancer veterans disability benefits denial discourage you.

Additionally If You Have Another Impairment For Example High Blood Pressure Or Arthritis You May Be Eligible For Ssdi

Applicants often have more than one illness or injury that prevents them from working full-time. One disorder alone may not meet the criteria of an impairment as stated in Social Securitys Blue Book, but if an applicant has multiple medical conditions, Social Security must consider how those health issues, combined together, limit the applicants ability to hold a job and perform necessary daily tasks.

If you have prostate cancer and you have been unable to work full-time, you may be eligible for Social Security Disability benefits.

In order to qualify for Social Security Disability, you will need to satisfy a few specific requirements in two categories as determined by the Social Security Administration.

The first category is the Work Requirements which has two tests.

The Duration of Work test. Whether you have worked long enough to be covered under SSDI.

The Current Work Test. Whether you worked recently enough for the work to actually count toward coverage.

The second category is the Medical Eligibility Requirement.

Are you working? Your disability must be total.

Is your medical condition severe? Your disability must be severe enough to interfere with your ability to perform basic work-related activities, such as walking, sitting, and remembering.

Can you do the work you did before? SSDI rules look at whether your medical condition prevents you from doing the work you did prior to developing the condition.

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Evidence Needed Related Your Quality Of Life And Ability To Care For Yourself

If you do not meet the Blue Book listing, you still might qualify for SSDI benefits through a medical vocational allowance. This means that the SSA will evaluate your limitations using a residual functional capacity assessment.

Your physician should carefully document your physical and mental capabilities and limitations. For example, is your life impacted by the need to urinate on a frequent basis? Do you experience pain in your back or groin?

Are you depressed as a result of your condition? The more specific you are about your pain, ability to move, and quality of life, the better your chances are of being approved for disability benefits with prostate cancer.

Take Advantage Of Help Along The Way

Figuring out benefits and programs can be confusing, especially when some may seem to overlap. Take advantage of a host of resources that can help. Among them:

To get up to speed on Social Security disability benefits, see Disability Benefits, an online booklet published by the Social Security Administration. Included is information on who is eligible, how to apply and what you need to know when the benefits begin.
Some cancer centers and hospitals may offer programs to help you decipher disability programs. Call the cancer center or hospital where you received treatment to inquire, or ask your oncologist.
Hire an attorney to help with an appeal. Disability attorneys can be found through your local or state bar associations lawyer referral service. These attorneys are required to provide assistance on a contingency basis, which means that they get paid only if they help get you past benefits.

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Medically Qualifying For Benefits For Prostate Cancer

There are two ways in which you can qualify for benefits medically with prostate cancer. The first is to meet the SSAs prostate cancer listing. The second is to show through a residual functional capacity analysis that youre disabled despite not meeting the Blue Book disability listing for the disease.

If your cancer is advanced, recurrent, or terminal, then you meet the SSAs listing requirements. Otherwise, your prostate cancer does not qualify under this listing. This is because most men are able to return to work after treatment, if their cancer is found early and treated appropriately.

Specifically, to meet the SSAs prostate cancer listing, your medical records must show one of the following:

The disease has progressed or returned despite initial treatment
Your cancer has metastasized to internal organs
You have oat or small-cell carcinoma

If your prostate cancer has recurred or metastasized, then your application for benefits will be flagged for expedited review and approval under the SSAs compassionate allowances program.

The SSA will still need to see minimal medical evidence before approving your claim, but very few applications are denied for medical reasons under the CAL program.

What Impairments Prevent Employment

The frequent urge to urinate is a common first sign of prostate problems. Cancer, even in its early stages, can lead to constant bathroom breaks, something not practical when on the job.

Pain, weakness, and stiffness in the back, hips, thighs, and pelvic area can make sitting, standing, walking, climbing, and other activities difficult or impossible, essentially getting in the way of nearly every normal task required in physically active as well as sedentary jobs.

When undergoing hormone therapy or chemo and radiation, side effects become a major impediment to gainful employment. These treatments only last so long however, and if successful, many men are able to go back to work without significant issues.

Long-term and permanent residual impairments that come from prostate cancer and treatment however may have left you unable to accomplish many essential job duties. These impairments virtually destroy your employment options.

When this is the case, approval for disability under a medical vocational allowance may be possible after the SSA looks at how compromised you are functionally.

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Applying For Social Security Disability Benefits

You can apply for disability benefits online via the SSAs web site or in person at your local Social Security office. When applying, you will be asked to fill out a number of forms including the Adult Disability Report and the disability application. In addition to filling out these forms, you will also need to be able to supply the SSA with the medical evidence that you have gathered to support your disability claim, such as copies of your treatment history, laboratory reports, imaging results, and written statements from your treating physicians.

This article has been kindly provided by Ram Meyyappan of Social Security Disability Help. Since 2009, Social Security Disability Help has provided information to individuals who are seeking to apply for Social Security Disability benefits or have been denied after applying for Social Security Disability.

What Evidence Will I Need To Submit With My Claim

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You’ll need to submit these records:

A medical record that shows you have an Agent Orangerelated illness, and
Military records to show how you were exposed to Agent Orange during your service

If your illness isn’t on the list of presumptive diseases, youll also need to provide at least one of these types of evidence:

Evidence that shows the problem started duringor got worse because ofyour military service, or
Scientific or medical evidence stating that the illness you have is caused by Agent Orange. Scientific proof may include an article from a medical journal or a published research study.

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Exposure And Prostate Cancer

Various forms of exposure that veterans have faced during their service have been linked to prostate cancer. Some forms of exposure do have presumptive service connection, while others do not. Therefore, depending on the form of exposure, some veterans may have an easier time becoming service-connected than others.

Meeting A Disability Listing

To”meet a listing,” you must prove that you have all of the elementsnoted in a particular impairment listing in the Social Security bluebook, which provides a list of ailments that automatically qualify youfor disability benefits.

Forthose with prostatatitis or BPH, there are no listings that can be met.If the condition causes permanent damage, such as to the kidneys, it ispossible that you could meet a listing for the damaged body part, suchas the listing for renal function.

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Evidence Needed Related To Your Prostate Cancer Treatment

Prostate cancer is treated differently depending on the severity and spread of the cancer. The SSA will need to know what treatments you have received, your response to those treatments, and if your prostate cancer has come back, or recurred, despite those treatments.

Possible treatments for prostate cancer may include oral medications, chemotherapy, radiation, hormone intervention, and cryotherapy.

The male hormone, androgen, is known to stimulate prostate cancer growth. As a result, hormone therapy, also called androgen deprivation therapy , works to reduce the levels of this male hormone in the body.

Treatments used to reduce androgen production include medications or surgery to remove one or both testicles.

According to the Blue Book, to qualify for SSDI, your prostate cancer will need to have progressed or recurred despite having this hormonal intervention.

How The Process Works

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The government fears that people will exaggerate their medical problems in order to get free money. So it puts every applicant under a microscope. To win, you have to prove beyond a doubt that your medical condition is severe and disabling.

There are two major stages in the process, and most people will need to go through both:

Initial Application: You submit a lengthy , details on past work and treatment, and copies of your medical records. A government staffer reads your file and makes a decision.

Appeals: If you lose, you appeal your denial and eventually get a hearing with a judge. At the hearing, you get to submit additional evidence, speak to the judge directly, and cross-examine government experts.

Unfortunately, the process takes time: 3-6 months to get an initial decision, and 1-2 years to get a hearing. Even a small mistake or omission can doom an application. The good news is that once you win even if it takes a long time and several appeals you get back pay for the time you should have been getting benefits.

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Faq: Prostate Cancer Veterans Disability Benefits

What if the VA lost my service records? Many Vietnam veterans have found the VA lost their service records. The problem with that is you are going to have to prove you came in contact with Agent Orange. Some veterans arent even able to prove where they served. Those veterans should consider filing VA disability buddy statements with their applications and appeals.

The VA denied my claim. What next? If you had your VA disability denied you can appeal for up to one year from the date the decision was made. If you have let your appeal period collapse, you can start a new claim by submitting a new initial application.

What if my cancer has worsened since my last Rating Decision? If you are already receiving prostate cancer veterans disability benefits, but your conditions have worsened, there may be help available. Veterans with worsened impairments can try increasing veterans disability benefits ratings.

Does it matter if I received subpar care at the VA? Some veterans will find they are eligible for veterans benefits section 1151 claims. They are veterans disability benefits for veterans who have disabilities from Veterans Affairs medical malpractice. Many veterans with prostate cancer are treating at the VA and experience a medical malpractice event.

Travel And Travel Insurance

If you’re planning a holiday your cancer could affect things like where you go and how long you go away for. This shouldn’t stop you from travelling but it may affect what you need to take with you and the sort of things you do while you’re away.

Read our travel information for more information about planning a holiday and tips for sorting out travel insurance.

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Individual Unemployability & Special Monthly Compensation

For Blue Water Navy veterans who are finally able to take advantage of the presumption of service connection for prostate cancer based on Agent Orange exposure, it is important to make sure that the VA has rated your condition correctly and has not reduced your benefits if you are still entitled to them. It is also important to apply for a secondary service connection for any conditions that are caused by your prostate cancer. You should also apply for Total Disability Rating based on Individual Unemployability if your prostate cancer prevents you from obtaining and maintaining a gainful occupation. If you are unable to work because of prostate cancer, it is important to file a claim for individual unemployability with the VA, not only so you receive benefits at the 100 percent rate, but so you can receive Special Monthly Compensation as well.

What Do Recipients Get

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People who qualify for Social Security Disability get two big benefits:

A monthly check

Free health insurance through Medicare or Medicaid They also get other benefits, including extra money for young kids, forgiveness of student loan debt, an easier time qualifying for other programs, and higher Social Security Retirement payments later in life. There’s no downside to receiving benefits, and its free to apply.

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Q: Ssdi For Prostate Cancer Suffers

Were sorry to hear about your illness.

Your caseeven more than many otherswill depend on the exact circumstances of your medical and financial conditions. We cant give you a definite answer here, but we will be able to outline the key issues that will influence your decision whether to apply for SSDI based on a prostate cancer diagnosis.

Blue Water Navy And Thailand Veterans

Blue Water Navy veterans who served in Vietnamese waters within the specified zone will finally be eligible for presumptive service connection under the expected changes to VA law so it is important to know what benefits are available to you so you do not leave any benefits that you are owed on the table. Additionally, it has been shown that there was Agent Orange use in Thailand where some of our US Air Force veterans were exposed to the herbicide. If you were in Thailand during the Vietnam War you may be eligible for Agent Orange-related VA disability benefits.

The attorneys at Hill & Ponton are available to help U.S. military veterans seek VA disability compensation for conditions connected to military service. If you are a Vietnam veteran experiencing prostate cancer, contact us today for a free case evaluation.

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How Can I Find Out More About Ssdi

Visit www.ssa.gov online choose disability
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 people with disabilities or who are at least 65 years old and who have limited income and resources. See our information on Supplemental Security Income .

Prostate Cancer Common Among Veterans

Prostate cancer is the second most common type of cancer for male veterans after skin cancer. There are over 200,000 prostate cancer cases in the United States every year. African-American veterans are at an even greater risk for developing prostate cancer than the average population. About one in six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime.

The good news is that nearly 100% of men diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer are still alive nearly five years after diagnosis. Prostate cancer grows very slowly, often causing no symptoms until its in an advanced stage. Most veterans with prostate cancer die of other causes and many veterans with prostate cancer never know they had it.

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