How to Apply for Disability Benefits If You Have Breast Cancer
Breast cancer could significantly change anybody’s life. You have to face severe pain and disabilities, undergo expensive treatment, miss many months of work, and fear the possibility of death.
You thus want to know your options if you or a loved one receives a breast cancer diagnosis. Aside from knowing the best treatments, you want to know if there’s financial help available to cover medical expenses and lost income.
Fortunately, you can apply for disability benefits from the Social Security Administration (SSA) for breast cancer. Read on to know the process.
How Breast Cancer Affects a Person
Breast cancer occurs when the cells in the breast grow abnormally, become tumors, and cause different symptoms like:
- Breast swelling
- Lumps in the breast and underarm
- Irritation, redness, and flaking of breast and nipple skin
- Excessive breast pain
- Breast shape and size changes
- Unusual nipple discharge like blood
Moreover, the cancer cells could spread to other body organs through the bloodstream. And in advanced breast cancer stages, the abnormal cells could even reach the lungs, liver, brain, and bones and cause serious complications.
The spread of cancer cells also affects body functions as the patient experiences fatigue, pain, and other discomforts. It affects their quality of life and limits their capacity to work full-time.
Thus, breast cancer patients usually experience significant income loss and worry about the expensive anticancer treatment costs.
So, know how to qualify for disability insurance if you or your loved one has breast cancer.
Disability Benefits Application for Breast Cancer
You have three options to qualify for disability benefits if you have breast cancer.
1. Qualifying through the Blue Book Listing
The SSA maintains the Blue Book for qualifying different health conditions. It contains listings for various health conditions, and you can find certain cancer types in Listing 13.10.
According to the Blue Book listing, breast cancer patients must prove any of the following:
- Advanced breast cancer spread all over the chest area
- Advanced breast cancer spreads to distant body parts
- Breast cancer that recurs after anticancer treatment
- Presence of small-cell, inflammatory, or metastatic breast cancer
Consult with a Burbank Social Security benefits attorney to check if you qualify through the Blue Book listing. Prepare sufficient medical evidence from your physician or oncologist to support your condition.
2. Qualifying through the Compassionate Allowances Program
The SSA may immediately approve your application if you have medical documents proving:
- Advanced breast cancer has spread to distant body organs
- You have recurring breast cancer even after anticancer therapies
- You can’t undergo a surgical procedure
This option lets you get your SSA approval in ten days as the agency deems you need urgent support.
3. Qualifying through the Residual Functional Capacity Form
If you don’t meet the Blue Book criteria, you can use this option. In this case, ask your physician or oncologist to fill out a Residual Functional Capacity (RFC) form.
The form will prove the activities you can do, despite the limitations of breast cancer. For example, the form will establish that you can only sit in an office for a five-hour shift.
The SSA will approve your application if the RFC form proves you can’t handle any full-time job.
Call a Social Security Benefits Lawyer in Burbank to Get Benefits if You Have Breast Cancer
Disability insurance is a big help for breast cancer patients and their families. However, applying for the benefits is an arduous process as you have to comply with tons of requirements.
Hiring a Burbank Social Security benefits attorney to claim disability benefits if you have breast cancer helps.