Can You Get Disability for Cancer?
You can receive Social Security Disability Insurance if your cancer prevents you from working. Your illness may cause severe pain, fatigue, and other symptoms that make you unable to regularly complete job duties.
- Individuals with advanced or aggressive cancer may qualify for expedited SSDI benefits through the Compassionate Allowances program.
- SSDI eligibility for cancer depends on the cancer type, stage, and how it affects daily function and ability to work.
- Cancer treatment side effects, like fatigue and cognitive challenges, can also be factors in determining SSDI eligibility.
- Medical documentation proving diagnosis, treatment history, and functional limitations is essential to a successful SSDI claim for cancer.
- SSDI benefits can provide financial support for those unable to work due to cancer, offering a vital resource during illness and recovery.
According to the Social Security Administration, to qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance, or SSDI, you must meet specific work requirements that include Social Security deductions. Your medical condition also must meet the agency’s disability criteria. Sometimes, you can collect SSDI and Supplemental Security Income, or SSI, following a cancer diagnosis if the disease affects your ability to work and you have limited income and resources.
Can You Get Disability for Cancer?
A cancer diagnosis doesn’t automatically qualify you for disability benefits. You must meet the Social Security Administration’s eligibility criteria provided in the Listing of Impairments, commonly known as the Blue Book. It covers most cancers in Section 13. You must also satisfy other eligibility criteria.
SSDI Work Requirements
When determining benefits, the SSA calculates the number of work credits you earned before your disability. You can earn up to four credits per year. It then uses these credits to determine if you have completed SSA’s recent work and the duration of work requirements.
You must have acquired some of your work credits recently. The number depends on your age. For example, if you are 31 or older, you must have accrued at least 20 credits in the 10 years immediately before your disability’s onset.
The duration of your work also matters, regardless of when it occurred. The duration of work requirements increases as you age. For example, at age 30, you need at least two years of work credits. However, at age 60, you need at least 9.5 years of work credits to qualify for SSDI.
SSI Requirements
SSI is a needs-based program that does not require work credits. It is for people with limited income and resources who are blind, have a qualifying disability, or are over 65. For 2024, the monthly income limit for SSI is $1,971 for an individual and $2,915 for a couple. Not all income counts toward the SSI limit.
To qualify for SSI, you must have no more than limited resources. In 2024, the countable resources cannot exceed $2,000 for an individual and $3,000 for a couple. Resources are things you can turn into cash, such as bank accounts, stocks, and property. They do not include things such as your home and the land on which it sits, one vehicle, and certain other assets.
Disability Eligibility Criteria for Cancer
The SSA evaluates most cancers based on Blue Book Section 13.00. If your cancer is related to an HIV infection, the evaluation falls under Section 14.00.
Under Section 13.00, the SSA uses the following four cancer disability criteria:
- The cancer’s origins
- The extent of involvement
- The duration, frequency, and response to anticancer therapy
- The effects of any post-therapeutic residuals or cancer that remains in the body
Evidence the SSA Considers
To determine your eligibility for disability benefits for cancer, the SSA looks at several pieces of evidence, including a medical diagnosis specifying the type, extent, and site of your cancer. If you have had an operative procedure, it also requires notes from the operation and a pathology report.
If you can’t get these reports, the SSA will accept a summary of operations or other medical reports. These summaries must include detailed explanations of surgical and pathological findings. If applicable, you also need evidence of recurrence, progression, response to therapy, and any significant residuals.
Three-Year Rule
If your disease goes into remission, it can affect your disability benefits because you might no longer meet the cancer disability criteria. The SSA three-year rule specifies that your benefits usually end three years after the remission begins unless another period is specified for your cancer type.
The SSA’s decision to end your benefits must include evidence that you are cancer-free, such as physical examinations and laboratory findings.
What if My Cancer Isn't Listed in the SSA Blue Book?
You may still qualify for disability benefits if the SSA doesn’t list your cancer in the Blue Book. To gauge your eligibility, ask yourself five questions:
- Am I working? In 2024, if you work and earn more than $1,550 per month, you are not eligible for SSDI.
- Is my condition severe? To qualify for benefits, you must have been unable to work for at least 12 months or have a terminal diagnosis.
- Is my condition as severe as the others listed? If you feel it is, get documentation from your doctor supporting your position.
- Can I do the work I previously did? You are not eligible if you can and make more than $1,550 a month.
- Can I do any type of work? You are likely ineligible if you can do other work and surpass the income eligibility requirement.
You also may have other SSDI-qualifying conditions that make you eligible for disability benefits.
Compassionate Allowances Program
The SSA has a Compassionate Allowances Program, or CAL, that expedites the claims process for people with certain severely disabling conditions. The SSA automatically determines your eligibility, so you don’t have to apply, which can reduce your claims process to a few weeks.
For cancer patients, the SSA triggers CAL depending on the type of cancer, its stage, whether it has spread, and whether it is operable. You can find information for your cancer on the SSA CAL Conditions webpage.
Living With Cancer and Receiving Disability Benefits
You may be eligible for both SSDI and SSI cancer disability benefits. The SSA refers to these as concurrent benefits. SSDI benefits reduce SSI benefits, but not necessarily dollar for dollar.
Social Security Disability Insurance
The SSA determines your SSDI benefits based on your lifetime average earnings covered by Social Security. In 2024, the maximum SSDI benefit is $3,822, the same as if you had worked to full retirement. The SSA estimates that the average disability payout in 2024 is $1,537.
Once you get SSDI approval, your payments start in the sixth full month after your disability began. For example, if you became disabled on June 15, 2024, and applied in July 2024, your first payment will be in December 2024. You can use our SSDI Calculator to estimate your potential monthly disability compensation.
After you receive disability benefits for two years, the SSA automatically enrolls you in Medicare Part A hospital insurance and Part B medical insurance. If you have limited income and resources, you might qualify for the Medicare Part D Extra Help Program to assist with prescription costs.
Supplemental Security Income
In 2024, the maximum monthly SSI payment for individuals is $943, and for couples is $1,415. If you work, the SSA reduces your SSI payment by about $1 for every $2 earned. Other benefits, such as SSDI, also reduce your SSI payments.
Once you receive SSI benefits, you also may qualify for Medicaid medical coverage. States administer Medicaid, so where you live determines whether you must apply separately. You also may be eligible for Medicare.
Get Help With Your Disability Claim
Determining how to get the disability benefits you need while also facing cancer can be challenging and stressful. At Disability Advice, we can answer your questions and assist you in applying for SSDI benefits for cancer and other disabling conditions. We know what information helps give you the best shot at approval with your initial claim.
We also can help if the SSA denies your disability application. You generally only have 60 days to appeal, so contact us quickly.
For assistance with SSDI and receiving disability benefits, contact Disability Advice, your trusted SSDI resource.
- Free case evaluation
- Assist with denied claims
- Ensure you have all documents
- Make the process easy for you
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