Written by:
Linda Cosme – Vice President of Disability Policy & Strategy, Citizens Disability
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, previously known as the Blue Book. The Listings covers most cancers in Section 13, the Body System for Cancer. 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.
Sometimes, SSA will need to update your earnings record if some time has elapsed since the date of the latest earnings record in the file, or there is reason to believe that the latest earnings record does not accurately show all of your earnings. The updated earnings record can uncover work after the onset date or additional quarters of coverage. Quarters are the same as credits.
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 2025, the monthly income limit for SSI is $2,019 for an individual and $2,985 for a couple. Not all income counts toward the SSI limit.
To qualify for SSI, you must have no more than limited resources. In 2025, 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 The Listings of Impairments, Section 13.00. If your cancer is related to an HIV infection, the evaluation falls under Section 14.00.
To meet or equal a Listing under Section 13.00, the SSA evaluates several 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
For operative procedures, including a biopsy or a needle aspiration, SSA will generally need a copy of both the operative notes and pathology report. The pathology report should include a gross and microscopic examination of the surgical specimen. Don’t forget that cytology reports represent a pathology report. When SSA cannot get these documents, SSA will accept the summary of hospitalization(s) or other medical reports. This evidence should include details of the findings at surgery and, whenever appropriate, the pathological findings.
To determine your eligibility for cancer, the SSA looks at several pieces of evidence, including a medical diagnosis specifying the type, extent, and site of your cancer. If applicable, you also need evidence of recurrence, progression, response to therapy, and any significant residuals.
Cancer and Terminal (TERI) Cases
SSSA will flag some cancer claims as an indication of a terminal illness or a TERI case. TERI cases are identified either directly by the claimant or from the medical evidence. The case is flagged for special handling and priority processing. Not all cancer diagnoses qualify for TERI status. Examples of some types of cancer cases for priority handling include:
- Cancer of the brain, esophagus, liver, pancreas or gall bladder,
- Mesothelioma
- Small cell (oat cell) lung cancer
- Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) or Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL)
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 Listings of Impairments?
You may still qualify for disability benefits if the SSA doesn’t list your cancer in the Listings. SSA uses a five-step sequential evaluation process to determine eligibility:
Step 1: Are You Working Above Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA)?
- SSA checks if you are currently working and earning more than the SGA limit. For example, in 2025, the SGA limit for non-blind individuals is $1,620/month.
- If you are earning above the limit, SSA usually finds you not disabled. If not, the process continues.
Step 2: Do You Have a Severe Medical Condition?
- SSA determines whether your medical condition(s) significantly limit your ability to do basic work activities, like lifting, standing, or remembering.
- The condition must last—or be expected to last—at least 12 months or result in death. If not severe, you are not disabled.
Step 3: Does Your Condition Meet or Equal a Listing?
- SSA compares your condition to its Listing of Impairments (formerly, referred to as the “Blue Book,” an abbreviation for the blue-covered SSA textbook named, “Disability Evaluation Under Social Security.”). If your condition matches or equals a listing, you are automatically considered disabled.
- If it doesn’t, SSA proceeds to assess your Residual Functional Capacity (RFC) in Steps 4 and 5.
Step 4: Can You Do Any of Your Past Work?
- SSA looks at the work you’ve done in the last 15 years.
- They assess whether you can still do that kind of work, given your RFC. If you can, you are not disabled.
Step 5: Can You Do Any Other Work?
- SSA considers your age, education, work experience, and RFC to see if you could adjust to other work that exists in the national economy. If you cannot adjust, you are found disabled. If you can do other work, the claim is denied.
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.
The CAL initiative is designed to quickly identify diseases and other medical conditions that clearly meet the criteria of the Listing of Impairments based on minimal yet sufficient objective medical evidence. Conditions that do not satisfy these strict criteria are not designated as CAL cases. SSA uses Predictive Models to identify the most severe medical conditions. All conditions identified under CAL are included in the Predictive Model and selected for CAL processing solely based on the claimant’s allegations provided on the SSA-3368 (Disability Report—Adult). CAL cases receive expedited processing at SSA and the DDS. If a CAL case is denied, it retains priority status at all levels of adjudication.
For cancer patients, CAL is triggered depending on whether that specific diagnosis is listed on the SSA CAL Conditions webpage. However, even if the case does not qualify for priority handling under CAL, it may qualify as a TERI for expedited or priority processing depending on the cancer stage and degree of metastasis.TERI claims may share common traits with other types of cases but are distinct, as they are indicative of a terminal illness. It’s possible for a claim to be flagged for priority processing as both a CAL and TERI.
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 2025, the maximum SSDI benefit is $4,018, the same as if you had worked to full retirement. The SSA estimates that the average disability payout in 2025 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, 2025, and applied in July 2025, your first payment will be in December 2025. 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 2025, the maximum monthly SSI payment for individuals is $967, and for couples is $1,450. 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
Written by:
Linda Cosme – Vice President of Disability Policy & Strategy, Citizens Disability
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“Professionalism at its best. From intake to getting my claim started, they are the ones you need. 100% recommend to everyone.”
Pablo P.
“Having never gone through this process before, it was very easy and straightforward. VERY professional and polite.”
Alan A.
“I had a great experience with my representative. She was very friendly and she made the process very easy. I’m glad I had the pleasure to work with her in filing my claim. She provided great customer service.”
Dana C.
“I was very nervous about reaching out for help with disability benefits. This experience was so much easier than what I thought it would be. They were understanding and supportive, and answered all of my questions. I would highly recommend them.”
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“The person I spoke with was very knowledgeable and very thorough with answering all of my questions and making sure all my information was correct. He was very patient, kind, and was very helpful. I wasn’t sure if I would qualify, and he checked and took all of my information. The process was made very easy, thank you so much for your help.”
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