Oklahomans diagnosed with cancer will have a great deal on their minds as they prepare for treatment and wonder what the future holds. This can be stressful physically, emotionally and financially. For many, the worry they face will go beyond the disease and extends to the treatment and making ends meet while they are getting it. The disease and the treatment can make it difficult if not impossible to work, causing financial hardship. Those who have cancer and believe can get Social Security disability benefits must understand certain factors. A legal firm that specializes in helping with SSD benefits is essential.
The Social Security Administration will consider certain factors when deciding if the applicant’s cancer meets the requirements for qualifying SSD benefits for illness. The following will be considered: the cancer’s origin; how extensive its involvement is; the anticancer therapy and its duration, frequency and the person’s response to it; and if there are side effects post-therapy. To come to an accurate determination and make an informed decision, the SSA also needs certain evidence.
The medical evidence must say the site of the cancer, its type, the extent, and if its primary, recurrent or metastatic lesion. If the medical professionals are unable to identify the primary site of the cancer, evidence as to the site of metastasis will be used. When the person has an operation for the cancer, certain information will be needed. This is also true if there is a needle aspiration or a biopsy. An operative note and a pathology report must be provided. Short of getting these documents, the SSA will accept a summary. Details must be provided and the pathological findings added as available. For some, there could be a recurrence, the persistence or its progression. Also important is how the patient is responding to therapy.
A cancer diagnosis must be dealt with as aggressively as possible so the person has the best chance to survive. Part of that is often the freedom from worry about how to make ends meet that Social Security disability benefits for illness can provide. Applying for SSD benefits when diagnosed with cancer requires experienced legal advice to have a good chance of an approval. A legal firm that has a history with SSD benefits should be called for help.