Although a diagnosis of cancer often forces people to take a leave of absence from work, only a few people will actually qualify for Social Security disability benefits. Unfortunately, the Social Security Administration requires individuals with cancer to prove their disease will prevent them from maintaining employment for 12 months or more.
The SSA has something called a Blue Book that contains listings of chronic diseases assigned various severity levels. If a person with cancer applying for disability does not meet (or at least closely match) the listing, he or she will need to show the SSA how their type of cancer, doctor-recommended treatment and side effects of expected treatment will seriously impact their ability to work.
In addition, doctors caring for cancer patients seeking SS disability must complete a “functional” report form detailing how well the patient can perform daily tasks, such as shopping, doing laundry or driving to doctor’s appointments. The SSA uses this report to determine how limited the patient is in completing tasks essential to their overall well-being.
Age is also a factor when the SSA decides whether to give someone with cancer disability relief. People without college degrees are more likely to qualify for disability than those with college degrees or vocational certificates. In fact, a disability evaluation by SSA physicians involves many factors that can heavily sway their decision. Since most people are unaware of these factors, individuals experiencing repeatedly denied cancer disability cases often seek legal help to obtain the financial assistance they need while being treated for cancer.
If your cancer disability evaluation continues to be rejected by the Social Security Administration, contact a NY disability lawyer today for immediate legal help regarding your disability claim.